Sophomore Year
by Little Esme
Summary: HALFLING ALTERNET ENDING! Madison survives the attack, but she's no longer your "average" human. Fate has put her in a hard place, and back at school she must face the reality of vamps & wolves. Not to mention things get tangled when fantasy & truth mix.
1. Shock

**I lied. I said I was done with Madison, but here I am again writing her story. You'll probably need to read **_**Halfling**_** to understand this one, but basically this is an alternate ending. This story begins with Albert and Sierra in Madison's room as she's being marked. Once again, only Madison, Caleb, and the Seattle High School kids are mine. And of course, Stephenie Meyer is amazing. On with **_**Sophomore Year.**_

One minute I was dreaming about Dustin, and the next I couldn't breathe. I tried again and again to breathe thorough my mouth and nose, but something soft was being shoved at my face, clamping my eyes shutface. Even through the thick fluff of the pillow I could feel a man's hand spread across the top, securing it to my face and muffling my screams. The strange man's side was pressed against my body, and no matter how hard I tried to kick and punch I couldn't move from my prison. All the efforts were wasting my limited oxygen.

Then came the pain. The man's other icy hand forced my head down, displaying my left side as his new canvas. Without any warning he stabbed me and began carving his artwork on my head like I was a simple piece of wood. Warm blood oozed across my head into my hair and down my neck as he sliced line after line. The whole time he kept me down and silent in the pillow.

I was growing tired from all my efforts and attempted screams. My head was swimming, and pastel blues, greens, and purples danced in my head as more and more oxygen became CO2. If I didn't suffocate first I'd bleed to death.

And it was over! Though it felt like minutes the brutal…whatever it was was over in seconds. At last I could move, breathe, and scream for help.

"Madison!" screamed Grandpa Charlie from my bedroom door.

I opened my eyes, never quieting, and wiped the tears from my eyes so I could see what had just happened. Everything in my room was just as I left it when I went to sleep. My clothes were scattered around my suitcase and closet, my cell phone was next to the old computer, and the window was still open- a fact Grandpa quickly noticed.

"Is this where he came in?" he asked, running to the window and searching for the culprit . Unable to speak I shrugged my shoulders.

Grandpa looked back at me and began to shake violently before racing downstairs. I heard a faint click from the kitchen that sounded a lot like a gun, and when I looked out the window again I saw him and his gun looking around the house. This surprised me. He never seemed like the violent kind, and I doubted that he'd ever used it before.

Wondering how bad I looked I made my first attempt to the dresser, but instead I fell flat to the bloody ground. That was when I realized how much blood I'd lost. There was a puddle of crimson blood right where my hands landed, and the sheets that still had my feet trapped were soaked in blood. Yet there was no evidence that could point to one specific person. All I could do was sit there and try to make sense of what was going on.

Ten minutes later Grandpa came back with the First Aide Kit and the house phone. I took the tin box from him, always focusing on keeping calm and steady.

_This would be a great time for the vampire instincts to kick in_.

"Billy, I know it's late, but someone broke into Bella's old room and almost killed Madison. Can you call some of the boys to help me search the woods? Yes, I know the bastard's probably gone, but any and all evidence will help. Thank you so much." Charlie hung up and dialed another La Push number. He repeated this at least three more times before calling the police, and by then he was shouting ever cuss word he knew into the receiver.

Meanwhile I cleaned the cuts on my head the way Carlisle taught me. It was almost comforting to remember all the scrapped knees and elbows from when I was little. Carlisle always said that the dark was my greatest enemy because no matter how vampire-like I was in the light, the dark stole all my grace, leaving me as crumbly as my once human mother.

After covering my scars with the largest band aide in the kit I, finally, stood up and slowly walked to my cell phone. I knew Alice would have seen what happened and called Mom and Dad, but I needed to hear them again. Dad answered on the first ring.

"Madison!" he cried. I heard Mom mutter something to him in the background. I tried to picture them alone in the Alaskan woods with the sun bouncing off their diamond-like skin. The image helped my relax a little, but it was made me miss them more.

"I'm OK; I promise. I've lost some blood, but Charlie had a First Aide kit on hand, so I'm better now." I was lying, and they could tell. My voice wavered too much.

"You're on speaker. Oh, Madison, Alice just called! What happened?" Mom was shaking, too.

"I don't know. I'd just got done emailing Christina and went to bed." Grandpa sharply said good-bye to whoever was at the station and grabbed the phone from my trembling hands.

"Bella!…" I didn't pay much attention to what he was saying. I heard him briefly explain what we knew. Maybe the vampires knew something we didn't, but if they did they couldn't tell Grandpa.

To distract myself I picked up the old rag at the bottom of the box and tried to soak up as much blood as I could.

"No, Madison, don't worry about it," softly said Charlie who was starting to pace across the room. "I'll clean it up. Go to my room. Now!'

I grabbed a clean pillow and a little blanket before going out to the hall. I shut the door behind me, but I didn't go to Grandpa's room down the hall. Instead I curled in the corner between the wall and door. A few stray tears rolled down my cheeks again, but I didn't bother wiping them away. On the other side Grandpa was trying to keep Mom and Dad away, but by the sound of it he wasn't a match for Dad's determination.

"Edward, be realistic! If-…but-… Listen, Madison's fine with me, but I thought you should know… Bella, talk some sense into him! Fine. Come if you must, but there's no need." Grandpa gave up and hung up the phone. I heard him sigh as he bent down to clean up the mess. I couldn't take it anymore, but I didn't know what to do either. I stood up and sat on his bed before he noticed me outside the door.

I picked up the phone next to Grandpa's bed and dialed Carlisle and Esme. Alice had called them, too, and Esme was worried about me. She told me to call my aunts and uncles because they were upset, too- Rose more than the others.

"Rosalie _loves_ you! She was jealous of Edward & Bella at first, but she's grown to love you like her own child. Bella had to fight to get you back after you were born. Rosalie just cradled you forever in her arms because you were her dark hair baby she could never have. Call her & tell her you're OK," Esme scolded after an embarrassing outburst. I agreed and called them before Charlie came in.

"Knock, knock," came Grandpa Charlie's tired voice from the door. He smiled as he stood there. Both of us didn't look at each other for a moment, and then he sat down on the bed. He turned on the little lamp and shuddered when he finally looked me in the eyes.

"My God," he whispered as he held out a trembling hand. He cautiously brushed the band aide and ripped it off. I screamed louder than I did after I was attacked, and this time I couldn't hold back the tears. He held me close as I whimpered and cried. Seconds later the doorbell rang, but he didn't flinch.

"That'll be the Pack," I whispered into his shoulder. "Go let them in." He held me out to get a better look at me, sighed, and wiped his tears before leaving.

Downstairs I could hear the men talking about the attack, but I didn't want to listen to the plan. What if they found the man? What would they do? They'd get hurt, that's what. The Quileutes were family to Charlie… through him and Mom they were my family, too. Soon police sirens approached the house, and everyone downstairs went outside.

I climbed out of bed and looked at the damage for the first time. My already pale face was death white, and my bronze hair had sticky, blood cakes stuck in my hair. There was still some bloody trails on my chin and neck which only added to the zombie- vampire look I was pulling off. My beautiful green eyes were blood-shot from crying so hard and hidden behind puffy eyelids. Worst of all the left side of my head was branded with three sets of Vs each getting smaller and smaller as they closed in on the three small dashes. The way my bangs were cut and styled I'd never be able to cover it up. The sight was a nightmare. I shook harder than I had ever shook before and fell to the ground in unimaginable misery.


	2. Prison

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Please, please, **_**please**_** get more people to read this! Also, Albert and Sierra are mine. I can't remember who I said was mine & who wasn't, but I'm sure you know. If not go read NOW! It's pronounced EE-YOU-TALL-KAH. Fyi. Oh yeah, language!**

Two warm hands lightly shook my shoulder. I let out a small yelp and jumped into the headboard of Grandpa's bed.

"Oh, it's just you." My words were a slur from lack of sleep. "Going to work?" I closed my eyes again and wiggled back under the covers. He shook me again. The warmth was weird compared to the icy cold hands that usually woke me up at home.

"In about on hour," he said. "Come on. Get up and get dressed. You can sleep at Billy's."

"What?'

"You can sleep on his couch or in Jacob's old room. Maybe you can go to Sam's and sleep there. I don't really care where you go as long as it's in La Push." Grandpa started shaking me awake again. I moaned and swatted him away.

"What are you talking about? Let me sleep."

"Do you seriously think I'd let you stay here after what happened last might?" He shook his head and pulled the covers back.

I sleepily sat up, rubbing my eyes till they could open, and somehow got out of bed. I walked down the hall to my room to find some clothes. I was half scared to go in because last night's events were too fresh. Even though there was no blood or the lingering smell of blood I could still feel the panic radiation off the walls. Grandpa also took the liberty of putting new blue sheets were white ones were only hours ago. The biggest change in the room was by the closet. All of my clothes were taken out of the closet and off the floor and neatly folded in my open suitcase. It all looked like Grandpa was expecting Mom and Dad to pick me up today. Some Spring Break this turned out to be!

I picked up my beige turtle neck and worn out jeans, scattering my clothes around the suitcase and took a long, hot, relaxing shower. It took three tries to wash out all the blood from my hair. I would've gone for a fourth if the shampoo and water didn't' irate my mark so much.

After getting dressed and drying my hair I took a hard look at the reflection in the mirror. The zombie-vampire left, but she left traces in my face. My skin was even whiter than normal, almost as white as my parents, and I feared that a paper cut could turn me into one of them. My emerald eyes, once my most noticeable feature, were unimportant beside the bright crimson cuts.

"Maddy, are you ready yet? We need to go. You'll have to eat down there," Grandpa Charlie said through the locked bathroom door.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Just let me get my jacket," I called back as I rushed to pick up my wet towels and PJs. When I opened the door Grandpa was still there holding out my jean jacket and truck keys. I looked at him confused.

"When your parents got married and moved Bella gave Jake the truck back. Billy had Seth Clearwater bring is up here before you can, and I think it's time to bring it back," he explained.

"Basically I'm not going anywhere until Mom and Dad get here," I muttered.

Charlie watched me get in the truck, and in his Cruiser he followed me to La Push. The whole fifteen minute ride down there I had to convert all my frustration into singing along with the new stereo- Dad's doing I was sure. The ancient truck and Police Chief Swan kept me driving at an annoying 35 mph even though is was a straight country road where I'd normally go 90.

Once past the Treaty line and in sight of the Black house, Charlie turned around towards the station, leaving me in potentially dangerous land, the anti-Cullen reservation. In front of Billy's house Emily Ulley flagged me down.

"Come on over to our house. We'll kick Eutalka out of his room so you can get some rest.  
I parked the truck next to the blue Toyota- probably Jake's- and followed Emily down the road to her house.

"Eutalka, get up! If you're so sick go to Billy's house. Jake and your dad are down there with Cale," yelled Emily after we were inside. Down the hall came a bulky Leader, rubbing his eyes and running his hands through his long, messy black hair wearing nothing but some baggy shorts..

"I'm- tired," he growled.

"Well, so is Madison, and her reason is better. Go to Billy's. "Leader started to argue, but after a shocking glance at my mark he ran back to his room to finish getting dressed. I followed and waited patiently next to his door.

"Heard what happened. Sorry to hear that, but you'll be safe here. Charlie's getting good at this dangerous stuff I guess," Leader said behind the door.

"What do you mean"

"Charlie and your le-_family_ sent Bella down here a lot to recuperate or hide. Nothin' gets past us Quileutes," he laughed as he opened the door.

"So, _Eutalka_. Not your everyday name." He rolled his eyes.

"It's from one of the old chiefs. It means 'leader,' hence the name," he explained. He looked up at the ceiling and uncomfortably jittered. "I-I guess I should go see Dad." He awkwardly scooted around me and left the house without another word.

Leader's room was a disaster! Clothes hanging on door knobs, on the floor, on the bed, on the dresser. His tattered backpack was in one corner, but his school books were scattered over and under a pile of clothes in the opposite corner. I picked up two over-stuffed handfuls of clothes from his bed just to make a little room for me to sleep- a task I thought would be impossible and uncomfortable in a strange Quileute boy's room, but I was asleep before I had the sheet over me.

"Where is she?" asked a rough, husky, male voice from the living room.

"In Eutalka's room," answered a sweet female.

"Why are we still standing here? Let's go track those blood sucking bastards down!" cried a younger male.

"Shut up, _Leader_! You'll wake her. Never piss off a leech unless you can handle it," warned another young boy.

"I thought she wasn't a Cold One-_yet_," said Leader.

Without opening my eyes I rolled over to the edge of the bed and rummaged through the small bag I'd been carrying all week. _Eragon_, I thought as I picked up the heavy, hardback book. An exciting 497 page book with a message even _these_ idiots would understand. I quietly opened the door and aimed.

"Her blood suckers will change her from a Halfling to a full-blown vampire, and you all know it!" yelled Leader, his temper rising to it's breaking point. It was all too perfect! Leader, Embry, Sam, and Emily were all standing in a circle and the end of the hall, and Leader was in the magic spot. I used all my vampire-like strength and released.

"OUCH!" Leader screamed at the top of his lungs, right arm covering my direct hit. He checked to make sure he wasn't bleeding; it wasn't…yet.

"Fuck! You fucking leechling, get your ass over here, so I can beat the fucking shit out of you!" I laughed to myself as I listened to his childish cussing spree. I laughed even harder when Emily rolled up the morning paper and hit him in the same place I did.

"Watch your mouth. You're worse than a white sailor," she scolded.

"What the-" He picked up my book. "She threw this at me!"

"You insulted my family and me," I said, walking down the hall. "Thanks for letting my sleep, Emily, but I think I need to go." She handed my a sandwich, which I took gratefully, and I walked outside towards the beach.

The sun was high in the sky now, and I wondered if Mom and Dad were in Seattle yet. I pulled out my phone and called Mom. The phone rang a couple of times before she answered.

"Are you OK? You sounded horrible last night," she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine except for a few scars, but Grandpa Charlie told you about that. Mom, hurry up and get here. The wolves are holding my hostage, and Grandpa's letting them." She told Dad what I said, and to my surprise he laughed! "It's not funny! I'm not Madison here. I'm leechling or Halfling or the Cullen kid or something like that. Most of them like me, but Embry, Caleb, and Leader confuse me."

"Leader? Who's that? Listen, don't worry about Quil and Embry. They took my decision… badly. Edward and I can't get a flight back to Seattle so we're borrowing one of Tanya's cars to come get you. We had to tell them about you, and now they want to meet you this summer."

"OK. When will you be here?" Mom gave Dad the phone.

"We'll probably be in Forks tomorrow night. We'll go straight to the line; Bella's allowed in, but I'll have to wait behind it. Don't worry about anything, but if anything changes call Carlisle and Esme immediately. Right now La Push is the safest place for you. I love you, and we'll be there soon." I told them bye and hung up.

I had been sentenced to a land where I was half scum and half hero, but no one cared about how unhappy I was. Even my vampire father wanted me near the werewolves! Can you say Twilight zone?


	3. Kidnap

**Stephenie Meyer is awesome! Nothing to say since I just posted a chapter.**

The next morning Charlie woke me up again and took me to La Push. I spent most of my time reading outside since Jake, Mrs. Black, and Caleb claimed Billy's house, and I didn't want to go back to the Ulley house unless I had to because I didn't want to face Leader again.

The Quileutes as a tribe really were pleasant people. Even when I sat on a random person's porch to read I was treated like family. Some women gave me drinks or food while others told me ancient stories. It seemed that the favorite story to tell was about the Spirit warriors and the beginning of the werewolves, but every time I heard it the speaker would end it by saying "but the Blacks tell it better." Weather or not that was true I never found out.

I ended my exploration at Billy's house, but I still didn't dare go in and face Caleb. Things between us were…complicated, but in a few hours it wouldn't matter. Hopefully Mom would come running down the road to take me home before the storm hit.

A bear-like "teenage" boy sat down on Billy's top step with me.

"Déjà vu. I remember Bella being watched like a hawk when that redhead attacked Seattle," reminisced Embry. For some reason "watched like a hawk" upset me. Maybe it was because I was used to being free to do whatever I wanted- within reason of course.

"Weren't you doing something then?" I slammed my book shut and turned the other way.

"Yeah. Give it time, and we'll have our action. Se those clouds? After the storm hit's the vampires will come for you, but we're ready for them."

"Why do you think vampires did this?" I asked him. He explained how he could small them in the house. "Them"- not a comforting thought.

Then Embry opened up and showed my a new side to werewolves- kind, caring real people. He volunteered to stay a short-fused, furry dog until-if-Mom came back. It was so noble, and it caught me off guard. Now why couldn't all guys be responsible like that?

The wind was picking up a little, bringing the ocean's misty scent with it, but I wasn't cold. I had to wait for Mom.

"Do I smell like a vampire?" I asked to break the silence. He laughed and leaned back, almost falling over.

"Nope. Although you do have a small, strange smell." Up the road an older teen who looked strikingly like Caleb called out.

"You're not that bad yet. The boy looked seventeen or older and was at least half a foot taller than Caleb, but his black, serious eyes told me the young "Protector" was in there somewhere.

"You don't listen do you? If you saw a boiling pot would you stick your hand in to see it's hot?" he spat when he was closer.

"What's your deal?" I exploded. I instantly remembered why I hated La Push.

"If you would've listened to me maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

"Are you saying you _knew_ I would be scared like this? You knew before Alice? If so speak up, Caleb!" The Cullens were right about the Pack. They were unstable jerks that always blamed someone else.

He continued his rant while blaming his new transformation on my family even though we lived in Seattle.

"I told you to be careful here-" he screamed.

"Because everyone knows me!"

"Because vampires could hurt you!" He was now trembling in hatred and anger, but I didn't care. Embry jumped between us and tried to hold him steady. Jacob Black ran to help, but it was too late. Caleb had phased into a giant black and red wolf within seconds. I should've been terrified at the sight of my "natural enemy," but I couldn't get past the wolf's beauty. The way the wind ruffled his long red mane was the most breath-taking picture I'd ever seen. I was caught of guard when Sam and Emily rushed me inside their house.

At the kitchen table Sam explained that Jake and his family had been sent to watched us. He mentioned something about other vampires talking about us, and it sounded like he knew what my attackers wanted. But I was still in a daze, half numb from what I saw, and half in awe by the sight. I saw Leader's shadow advance behind me.

"Dad, her leeches are outside waiting for her on the other side of the line. Black car. Jacob said that was the doctor." I got up and thanked them before leaving.

_Why isn't Mom and Dad here? Has something changed?_

Just like Leader had said, Carlisle's black Mercedes was sitting, engine ready to go, at the line. An ivory, feminine hand pushed the back door open for me, and I got in without thinking. The car drove off.

But that wasn't Esme in the passenger seat. The chocolate brown hair vampress turned around to face me. Her white skin shown even whiter in the dark car, and she was a terrifying mix of incredible beauty and pure hell.

"Such horrid weather for a feast, is it not, love?" she purred.

Outside, the sky fought and electrified the enormous clouds. The storm was here, and I was gone.

I was desperate for a way out, but my supernatural speed and strength would be no match against a full vampire- let alone two! I had limited choices, and none were likely to succeed.

I smashed my head against the back window, but it only cracked and made an intricate spider web. Jumping out the window was out, which only left me with my phone, but the vampress Sierra caught me and swiped my phone away from me before I could open it. I saw her grin as she read through my contacts.

"We don't need to worry dear Grandpa. I'll just send Mom a little message, all right?" She held the phone close to her chest while she thought. "Let's see…'Gone home. Tired of Grandpa. No need 2 worry.' Does that sound like you?" The driver, another cold hearted vampire called Albert, laughed as he floored the car.

A few seconds later my phone beeped. A reply! I jumped forward to the phone, but Albert pushed me back. Sierra read the text aloud.

"'Home where? Seattle of Forks? Edward & I are almost 2 La Push. Carlisle & Esme coming.' Looks like you'll miss the reunion." she told my mom I was in Seattle and chucked my cell out the window, the wet street shattering it. Now my life was in chance and Alice's uncertain visions. But even they would disappear once the wolves discovered the truth.

After the longest half hour I'd ever lived through Albert stopped the car and carried my deep into the woods to die.


	4. Attack

**Guys, I want more people to read this & REVIEW! Ok, I'll let the reviewing slide until I get to the new stuff. Maybe that's what people are waiting for? I dunno. Just 1 more review chapter or less. I'm still working on how to write the next chapter. Ideas would be great, too.**

The flooding rain had slowed to a slight drizzle, and the rattling thunder and lightning were calming. At least I wouldn't die in the damn rain.

The vampire finally set me down on the ground, and in seconds he had my hands and feet bound together with fraying ropes that burned my skin when I struggled. Why he tied me down was a mystery, but both my human and vampire instincts told me to shut up. Perhaps he liked his victims still when they died. No, his venom would paralyze me in pain.

The brunette crouched down near my shoulder and smiled as she looked me over. Her black panther-like eyes were even emptier than my family's eyes after they hadn't hunted in a couple of weeks. Her icy, ivory fingertips traced the tiny capillaries in my face. She playfully leaned forward as my heart beat faster and faster.

"You, love, are a puzzle I can't piece together. Congratulations. I'm not easily baffled. Usually I kill my human before he or she knows what I am, but I need answers from you. My friend here has tasted your blood and _swears_ that he tasted venom in you. Have you ever been bit by a vampire? Tell me what happened," she whispered softly, her voice almost soothing my fears.

The vampire logic retrieved an old memory.

_I am five years old, Daddy, Mommy, and I live in Juneau, Alaska. My parents are vampires, but they're not scary. They're fun! I love to play in the sun with them because they look like glass that makes rainbows. I have new rules now that I know my family's secrete, and Daddy's very strict about them. Mommy says it's for the best._

_"Not all vampires are good like us, Madison," he says as he puts me to bed. "Most vampires are very bad and want to hurt you."_

_"Like they are at Halloween?" I ask as I crawl to his lap._

_"Something like that, but they look just like Bella and Carlisle and Esme and your aunts and uncles and me. I you think you see one _run in the light!_"_

_"What if they're good?"_

_"_Never_ assume a vampire is good. If one does talk to you don't call us Mom and Dad. Call us Edward and Bella if you have to talk about us. Try not to let it get that far." He kisses my head and scoops me up. I'm clinging to his neck as he holds me in one arm and turns down my bed with his other. He tucks me in._

_"Why?" He understands what I mean because he knows everything. Mommy says he can read my mind. Almost everyone in my family can do special things- except me. I'm still human._

_"Vampires aren't suppose to have kids, but you're the exception. _Never_ tell a stranger you are my daughter. I don't know what would happen to you if the wrong person knew. It's not safe. Promise me you'll try to stay safe." I nod my head, and he bends down to hug me good night._

"I have never been bit," I said to Sierra in a flat tone. She couldn't tell if I was lying or not, but her thirst was getting the better of her. At my feet the male was growing restless. Sierra bared her perfectly white, deadly teeth, causing me to automatically stiffen.

"Attack!" shouted Leader about ten-fifteen feet away. He and Caleb leaped into the air, their clothes falling to the muddy ground in shreds, and landed as enormous wolves.

Leader, the smaller, ash-grey wolf, lead the attack and resembled as charging elephant-massive and unstoppable. Caleb hooked himself to Albert's leg, crunching hard on the stone-like bone. Leader tried to take on both vampires at once, but had to focus more on Sierra's genius maneuvers.

Albert shook his leg desperately, hoping to jar Caleb off, but the wolf was stronger than the enemy thought. With both hands he painfully pried the young wolf off and swung him into a large rock five feet or so away. The beautiful red wolf was unconscious and sprawled out. Albert reached for his pocket knife, but Sierra, no longer fighting a fleeing Leader, snatched it first.

I never knew anything could be as fast as a vampire, but one second Leader was near Sierra and the next he was quickly dragging his friend to safety.

"Leave her here. Kill the wolves!" she screeched, running frantically after my protectors into the woods. Albert looked at the bloody trail, but ignored his partner's orders. He looked back at me with deep, hungry eyes, and exposed his venomous smile.

I shut my eyes so I wouldn't have to see him give the famous kiss of death. I prepared myself for the pain, but a new, larger, scarier wolf jumped between us at exactly the right moment.

The two timeless monsters growled, howled, and snarled at each other as they circled and danced, occasionally striking like two cobras in a matter of life or death. Albert and Embry were evenly matched. Albert was obviously an expert warrior, and Embry had incredible speed. Albert finally got away, but Embry was snapping at his heels.

All the while I was struggling to loosen the knotted ropes and wiggle out, but the old ropes only cut my skin. I was sure the skin would break at any second, begging Albert to come back and feast on the living's wine.

Far off in a small clearing Alice's vision of children and old wolves facing death unfolded in front of my helpless eyes. Leader and Caleb had phased back, their ragged shorts barely able to stand their human speed as they ran to the old pack. Sierra and Albert were almost flying in the air after they jumped with supernatural speed and strength. As terrifying as it was I was thunderstruck at the mystifying beauty of the vampire attacks.

Jacob, Sam, and three other men formed a strong barrier between the vampires and the boys. They were confident, but the chances of survival were next to nothing compared to the invincible enemy. The two vampires, disgusted by the wolf smell and blood, tried to kill without spilling any "foul" blood. They forced the barrier back and used the knife as the primary weapon.

Carlisle and Esme appeared behind the Pack and attacked Sierra, leaving the Pack behind and out of the way. Embry, tongue flopping out like a happy dog on a hot day, chased Albert out of the action. Sierra, now completely on her own, was destroyed, but still full of spirit. My grandparents- even sweet, loving Esme- showed no mercy to the vampress who almost killed their living child.

Almost hidden behind the trees to my left, Embry was running in circles, trying to relocate the burning immortal scent. Albert had gotten away, and was now circling around to find me again. He scooped me up and ran without slowing from his rapid sprint. My screams silent inside the massive war noise.

At last Mom and Dad entered the war zone. Mom, a "new" vampire, was wild and deadly. She growled and unleashed Hell when she finished Sierra. Sierra's knife was twisted out of her hand, sticking blade up in the thick mud.

Dad forced the Quileutes out of the way, but froze when he heard my screams.

"Madison!" he screamed. Mom, pushed Sierra down and ran after her mate. Mom and Dad were catching up, but Albert was determined to have _his_ blood and tried to outrun my unbelievably fast father.

"I won't let you go to waste," he promised as he kept running. Maybe he knew he would never live if he stopped, or maybe he had waited too long and couldn't resist any longer. Either way he sang his poison-coated teeth deep into my throat. The fire was worse than I could imagine. It was like acid burning me into a bloody hole, and my screams couldn't even distract me from the pain. Albert didn't even flinch at my ear piercing yells and repeated it over and over, his smile now a red mess. Behind us Mom and Dad ran faster, cussing, yelling, and threatening to kill him, but the shouts were fading as the fire took over my senses.

Life for the rest of the day was a drunk blur, but I could slowly guess what was going on. At once Dad jumped on top of Albert, forcing him down on me. Mom, trembling from the delicious smell of my blood and fear that they squished me to death, pulled me out from under the wrestling vampires. She carried me to the nearest dry ground and placed me down, not knowing what to do next.

"Hush. Hush," she whispered, voice shaking like it had the night of my marking. Over and over she tried to move my blood hair out of my face, but she could never find the strength to do only that. I heard her call for help, Edward's, Carlisle's, Esme's.

Someone needed to save me before I, too, would be damned forever or worse.

Behind me I heard a victory, but who's was still a mystery. A man came to help, but it was not my father who bent down next to me. It was Albert.


	5. End of the Beginning

**I know that this will seem like the other chapters so far- review, but it ends differently of course. From now on I except a review for every chapter. It's the only way I know that you guys like it, so please speak your mind!**

By now I was fading in and out of reality, but I knew the vampire guy next to me was _not_ Dad. It seemed crazy to believe that Albert could look concerned about me though, so I stuck true to that saying, "believe nothing you hear and half of what you see." I lazily flopped my head over to Mom. I could almost see the tears protesting to break from their eternal jail. Holding her breath she stared only into my eyes and back at Albert. If looks _could_ kill…

"Who is this child to you?" he asked in the sharpest tone I'd ever heard, his slight French accent shinnying thorough.

"Believe it or not, but this girl is my daughter!" Delusion had to have taken over because Mom would never spill one of our most important secrets- not to a complete, human-killing, stranger. We hadn't even told Tanya's clan- my vampires' closet friends-until Mom and Dad borrowed their car. I would've loved to meet them.

"Then your mate speaks the truth," he replied. Defiantly dreaming! My head was spinning from the blood loss, and I was losing my voice from screaming. The venom was spreading and intensifying, but I didn't feel different or any less human.

Albert had been talking, but it didn't matter. I was going to die, and I all I wanted was to die near my parents, family, La Push…acquaintances- anyone but this monster. Bella was screaming at him. I guess that'd have to work.

I jerked in surprise when Albert's cold, hard mouth sucked on my neck. What the hell was going on? The raging fire wasn't as widespread, but every time he took a sip from me I grew weaker. In the past two or three days I'd lost more blood than I ever had, and I now I was becoming weak and deadly. I survived normally on the perfect mix of blood and venom. Now I was more venom and not enough blood.

I could tell that the imbalance was affecting me, but I knew that the average bite wouldn't be enough to freeze time. Still, I could see clear again- much clearer than before-, but my brain was too groggy to know what I was seeing. Then it hit me. The sweet, honey, red wine inside was calling me-demanding to be drank. Blood was all that mattered, and, _oh_, the taste was divine. I craved more like a druggie needs his weed. I cried out when a pair of cold, familiar hands forced me to stop. Her hands shook, and had a hard time stopping me. A tiny instinct pushed back in my mind was screaming to obey her hands.

"No!" called a familiar voice. The bronze angel threw Albert off my neck. He held my head in the palm of his hands and tried to wipe my blood away.

"Bella, she's dying. Her- her heart is stopping." His voice started to crack as he spoke to this Bella. Was she the girl next to me? She was pretty. I'd never noticed just how pretty she was, but that could've been because I only had human eyes. The she ran away with astonishing speed and grace, but I saw it all!

"Madison, hush, darling," he sighed. I could see the great internal battle in his eyes as he leaned down and sank his teeth into one of my many wounds. His warm venom kept me away from the light in my head. I was weak, but I would live but not forever. Edward would never give me enough poison for that.

"I'm so _so_ sorry. Teach me how to be like you!" begged the killer from a distance. Edward was about to kill him right there.

"Forgive him," I whispered. My throat was still sore from the bites and screaming. "Forgive him for me," He nodded and looked back at the man. He told him to find Carlisle. The man ran out of sight.

"I love you, Daddy," I croaked. He kissed my head, neck, and hands.

"No, Madison, don't close your eyes. Stay with me." He picked me up, and we ran through the maze of trees and fallen logs, back to Carlisle.

Dad talked to me until we found Carlisle and Albert, and I did my best to listen. I fought sleep, but failed too many times to count. Edward always woke me up, praying I'd live.

"Carlisle, help me," he begged. Carlisle and Esme were standing in front a small fire and Albert, kneeling in a mud patch.

"We need to get her home- to Seattle. Esme, go get Bella and whoever may be at the old house. Tell them what happened," ordered Carlisle. I couldn't fight sleep any longer. Noticing this he added, "Put Madison in the car. Albert, I will deal with you later. Next week. Here. Edward, we have to hurry."

I collapsed in my father's arms before we started running, and I couldn't remember the next time I opened my eyes.


	6. Answers

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School. Ready for brand new stuff? GREAT! Start reviewing!**

I was sleeping in a soft, warm bed, complete with a pile of unnecessary blankets, but I never complained about it. If I was too hot I could ask Mom or Dad to sleep next to me. Sometimes Esme would curl up next to me and reminisce about her human days. Even Rosalie liked to lay next to me at night and chat about normal teenage girl stuff like guys, make-up, and fashion. Then one of the guys- usually Dad- would stop our conversation and order me to go to sleep. This almost felt like one of those times.

There was a female vampire laying next to me, her arm under my pillow and her other hand stroking mine. Playing softly in the background I heard a peaceful piano melody, but I didn't recognize it. It sounded too close to be coming from Dad's piano downstairs. And a window was open. The cool, gentle breeze swirled around me, entering my dreams and blowing my hair in my face. I heard the quiet creaking of the tree branches and their leaves' maraca rattle. The relaxing rain taped Morse Code on everything.

I breathed in and stretched, not daring to open my eyes to find reality. I was stiff, like I hadn't moved in days, and my neck felt strange. I moved my hand away from the vampire and carefully felt my neck. It was warm for the most part, but the right side was covered in cold, smooth, crescent scars. I traveled farther up to rub all the crusty sleep from my eyes.

"Where am I?" I asked anyone who was in the room. The bed shook a little from my neighbor's laughter. Her cool hand turned my head to her.

"Wake up, Madison. You'll get a headache from sleeping too much. Carlisle, she's up-finally," said Mom.

I opened my eyes and noticed that I was in my room. On either side of the window were my bookshelves, both stuffed with old books I'd read a hundred times or more. My plasma screen TV on top of the chest was turned off and facing me at the end of bed. My dark wood desk by the door was clean-one of the vampire's doing-, and my laptop was up and running in front of Dad.

Mom was smiling next to me. Her hard skin was like white porcelain, but I knew she wasn't _nearly_ as fragile. Her golden topaz eyes were soft and loving and could make most girls hate herself for not having those dazzling eyes. Her hair and eyebrows enhanced her flawless face even more. Bella was no Rosalie, but besides her she was the most beautiful vampire I'd ever seen.

"How do you feel?" asked Dad. His copper hair ruffled in the sudden gust, almost distracting me from his smoldering gold eyes and _David_-like face. His was the face I wished I could be more like-the Mason face, the face of the family I would never meet.

"All things considering…pretty good," I laughed. Most people would say it felt like resting on a statue or a rock, but after sleeping on hard vampires for almost seventeen years it was the most comforting thing in the world.

"That's good to hear," said Carlisle from my bedroom door. "Did you hear anything I told your parents yesterday?" I shook my head.

"You're not a vampire. You know that it would take twice as much venom to change you. When Albert tried to correct his mistake he got ride of his venom, so when Edward bit you he only gave you your old amount back," Carlisle explained. He came in and sat of the end of my full sized bed. "You've lost a lot of blood, and I should have gave you more. I'm not sure if it would mix with yours though. You're a very unique person." He looked meaningfully at Dad.

"You have more benign venom in you than blood, so you may be even more vampric than before. We think it'll only increase your abilities," Dad added.

I already knew I could hear and see better, but did that also mean that I could run faster? Without falling? I hoped so because I was scared to loose more blood. That should have also meant that I was stronger and more graceful! All this power and I wouldn't have to hide it because I was still human!

"Wrong," corrected Dad. "You've have to keep yourself in check."

"But, Dad-!"

"Madison, no fuchsia," warned Mom in her usual color-talk. Basically she told me to lose my temper at Dad. I unsuccessfully tried to growl. My parents smiled at each other at my feeble attempts. I don't think anybody else knew about the bad habit I tried to pick up from them.

"I'll go fix you some diner," said Mom as she got up from the bed. I could still see her vampire-speed run. Carlisle also left after giving me a quick kiss, leaving me along with Dad.

We got along fine, but unlike when Mom and I were together, the room was pretty quiet. We almost always used his telepathic power to communicate, and today wasn't much different.

_How long have I slept?_ I sat up in my bed and rearranged my pillows. I glanced over and saw him using my laptop even though he and Mom had their own computer in their room. He smiled.

"Bella and I haven't left you since we got home. We haven't been able to get a hold of Renee, so I've been emailing her from here. I hear you're going to Florida this summer. Madison, I know we've talked about this.  
_That wasn't my question._

"You woke up once Saturday morning, but other than that you've been asleep. It's Sunday evening. 7:50," he answered, reading my next question.

I looked around my room, mentally thanking everyone for putting all of my vacation clothes away. I pushed the covers off and noticed that I was wearing PJs.

"Esme took care of your.  
"Thanks for everything, Esme," I said, no louder than I'd say to Dad. Mom came in with a tray of milk, hot ham and cheese, and a large bowl of lime green jello.

"The jello?" she asked after noticing my confused surrounding light. "To help you make more blood."

"Thanks." She sat the tray on my lap and turned off the CD player near the window. "What was that?"

"The lullaby Edward wrote for me when we lived in Forks," she answered. "I haven't played it in a while, and your dad wouldn't actually play it for me."

"I didn't want to wake you. We had it turned down very low. Anyway, Bella and I talked about Florida." Uh-oh. I could feel the annual speech coming. "It's a new speech today. This weekend showed us how short human life is, and we can't be there for you every minute of it." Mom picked it up.

"Renee is family, too. We can't stop you from seeing her. She wants to see you so band, but …she wants to see us, too."

"So, don't come with me!"

"Try the other way around," said Dad. "We don't' know if you'll make it to eighteen. Alice-"

"What do you mean? Like I'm going to die-again?" Mom ran to my side.

"No! Edward was going to change you on your eighteenth birthday if that was what you still wanted, but Alice see that happening much sooner," she said.

"How much sooner?" _Like I'll be younger than my parents sooner?_ Dad frowned "Will I be seventeen?"

"It's not certain," he admitted. He wasn't happy about changing me, but because he could read my mind he knew how much it meant to me.

"OK, so how does this fit with Grandma?"

"You will see her this summer, but if… if you have changed she'll have to come here. We'll handle the details in June after school's out," Dad explained. I only smiled, amazed that they were being reasonable about my life now.

I started to slowly eat my dinner while my parents told me what happened the day I was attacked. Mom didn't believe my text messages, so they drove to the treaty line anyway. Mom was harassed by Leader when she ran in Billy's house looking for me. That' s when everyone realized they'd been tricked. Leader and Caleb immediately chased after me while Mom tried to figure out where I'd gone. Alice had seen me in the car as soon as the wolves were out of the picture, and she called Carlisle and Esme. In less than half an hour they were in Forks fighting for me. Mom and Dad were late to the fight because they had to call Alice to find me.

"I won the fight," Dad said. He was now talking about chasing Albert and me in the woods. "Albert doesn't know about our powers, so I knew he really did want to apologize. I let him go, always within jumping range. When he drank your blood I lost control and came too close to killing him. I guess Bella didn't see me behind the trees. Otherwise you wouldn't have told him to do that, would you?" She shook her head.

"You've got at least twenty emails you should check before school tomorrow," she said, picking up my empty tray. Dad set my laptop next to me, and they both left the room, shutting the door behind them.

In less than twelve hours I'd have to act like I had a normal Spring Break and survive two months of school with six vampires and a werewolf. Joy.


	7. Weak

**Guys, where are the reviews? Chop chop! Get to it! Stephenie's amazing, as if you didn't already know it, & created the vamps & old pack. The rest are mine. Maddy's mine incase some one thinks she's a vamp. Hold on a chapter.**

Six a.m. came too early, and my mind and body refused to move from the warmth and safety of my bed. But the cold wake up call wouldn't let me take a sick day. He turned me over and pulled back cover after cover, slowly trying to freeze me out of bed. Didn't he know I was used to this? Guess not.

_No! Leave me alone. Not all of us can go without sleep. _I growled at my father. I groaned

"Mom, please tell your mate to go away!" Mom and Dad didn't like to be called "mates." They were husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend, depending on the family story. Mates were supposed to be too "uncivilized."

"Well, well. She speaks," laughed Carlisle. I jerked awake, wrapping the thin, lacy sheet over my thin, white pajama top. Doctor or not Carlisle didn't need to see me like that.

"What are you doing in here?" He had the whole doctor act going on. I liked it better when he was just Carlisle.

"Fine. I need to take a shower." He smiled and left.

I got up and made my bed, then searched for something sexy but school appropriate to wear. This would be the first time Dustin saw my new hair, and if I was going to be his girlfriend I needed to impress him. I battled between my royal blue, baby-T and my poison green, long sleeve shirt. Both accented my slenderness and gave my small chest some umf! My blue one looked fantastic against my pale skin, but the green one brought out my eyes. Alice suggested the green one to go with my slim jeans, new wedges, and black and jade dangle earrings. I looked hot, and she promised that Dustin would make a move. Dad, however, groaned when I came downstairs.

"No, Madison, you can't wear that. I'll have to listen to every teenage boy's fantasies all day if you wear that."

"At least we'd know where she was all the time!" joked Emmett. Rosalie hit them both. Jasper was smiling from the back of the living room.

"She'll be the one in the middle of the guy pile," he laughed. Emmett's booming laughter filled the room.

"She looks beautiful! Don't listen to them. They just can't stand it that you're becoming a young independent woman.  
"Thanks, Rosalie."

"You know, Jasper," snickered Emmett, now on the other side of the room from Rosalie. "I feel sorry for you and Bella most. You'll be the ones who feel and see the Southern rebellion!" Dad growled and ran to the car.

The guys at school did noticed me, making me both happy and embarrassed at the same time. I didn't even want to think about what the guys were thinking behind those too happy smiles, and I knew Dad was caught in that protective father and I-don't-to-know feeling. At the same time, I hoped Dustin would have similar thoughts when he saw me.

My best friends Christina and Katie were the only ones who knew about my mark, and despite their famous curiosity they did their best not to mention it. I guess Mom did a better job covering it with make-up than I thought. Mostly everyone wanted to know how things were between Dustin and me. So far we were still friends, but then he saw me.

He and a small group of his friends were talking down the hall, laughing, joking, and talking about their vacations. The five-nine, brunette man instantly forgot about the others around him when his perfect blue eyes met mine. I wished I could've read his mind, seen or felt his emotions, or at least knew what was about to happen. Stupid vampire powers. At least I had almost-vampire vision. Too bad it wasn't x-ray vision. Our friends behind us disappeared.

"Whoa! Madison, you look hot! Your hair- when did you get it done?" He was breathless. The way his gorgeous blue eyes check my body out…

_Dad, _please_ mind your own business for the next five minutes._ "The Friday before Spring Break," I answered shyly. I was only sky around him. No, giddy was a better word. Whatever it was that I felt around him I hoped my "special" family wasn't around to notice. No doubt my heart alone would give me away.

"I love it. There's been something I-I've been thinking about you all week. Would you like to go out with me this weekend?" He looked down with his head but up at me with his eyes. How could I say no to that beautiful face?

"Like a date?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

"Yes." We were both speechless, only laughing lightly, full of relief. He hugged me. Laying against my hard family would never be the same after experiencing the soft, warmth of Dustin's human flesh.

The tardy bell fan, bringing us back from our short trip to love. We ran our own separate ways, hearts light and happy.

Even halfway through class I was suffering fro the light feeling. Things were whiter than normal, and everything felt too buoyant. I shrugged it off thinking it was because of my blood-venom problem. It was something I'd have to get used to. But it was getting worse as the days progressed, and by lunch I was a rag doll struggling to make it through the next thirty minutes.

We were all at our table, happy to see each other after a week. Christina was on my left, Dustin on my right, and they were trying to talk to me. I could hear them, but their words didn't have a meaning. After a few minutes the room started to spin, and my head slumped to the table.

"Oh my God! Maddy, what's wrong?" screamed Christina, looking around the room for help. Dustin rubbed my back, showing his concern and how wonderful he was.

"You need to eat," he said. A tray bumped against my head. "Come on. Eat this." I looked up at the tray of half eaten food.

"If anyone asks, this is my tray, and I ate all that before I felt like this. Make it convincing," I mumbled. Katie came over and whispered in my ear.

"Is this because of you-know-what?" I tapped my head to make sure she understood which "you-know-what" was responsible. "Do you need to see the nurse?"

"No. Carlisle says I'm fine. I trust him." Katie gave up. Then, from opposite sides of the cafeteria, came double trouble. Mom, walking much faster than my opponent, made it to me first, beating Caleb by only a few seconds.

Mom quickly pulled up another chair and sat between Christina and me. She raised my head and looked at me, my make-up covered mark, and surrounding colors.

"Madison, we have to take you home. We'll take you to the hospital-" she started.

"You can't go there," I muttered.

"I can too! Not everyone there bleeds. I can take care of myself. Listen, Edward said you've been getting worse all day, and you didn't eat that.  
"Prove it," I challenged. I wouldn't usually talk back to my Mom unless we were cutting up, but I was hardly in the mood to be poked at by doctors who knew nothing about me.

"You don't like Mexican food." I tried to growl. Still didn't work. Mom stiffened as the pup stood behind me.

"You let her come?" cried Caleb. "Charlie said she'd just woke up yesterday! God, I thought _you_ of all people would know what happens when people lose blood. Not only were you Forks's biggest klutz, but now you're a Cold One! Do you even pay attention to your…" He snorted in disgust.

"Hey, it's them or you. Don't you understand how different she is? There are complications to helping her," snapped Mom.

"I blame the father." I heard a dark, frightening growl rattle deep in the back of Mom's throat.

"I am right here. Please don't fight. Wolves are cocky jerks, my family can't do anything else, and I just want to be left alone!" My screaming barely reached the other side of the table.

"Consider this your last warning. Get lost!" threatened my boyfriend, now standing. He pushed Caleb away, and Caleb almost fought back. He was pissed off and starting to shake. Mom held him still.

"Caleb, stop. Calm down. You wouldn't Charlene to find out like this," she soothed.

"Mom already knows- about _us_ anyway."

"Is there a problem here?" bellowed the assistant principal. Mom quickly released Caleb and smiled awkwardly at Mr. Matthews. Alice and Dad came just in time.

"There you are!" exclaimed Alice, holding my backpack. Dad glared at Caleb, and Caleb, of course, glared back, teeth showing. "Madison was in a small accident this weekend, but she _insisted_ that she could come to school today. I know the use of cell phones at school is strictly prohibited, but we needed to know when she needed to go home. Of father is a doctor and has been taking care of her all her life. The stubborn girl won't let anyone else treat her." Dad took over.

"Our father will be home in an hour or so. She can't drive like this, and I'd hate to leave her alone.  
"Not to mention we live outside city limits, so it'd take us a while to get home," added Mom. Caleb, eyes wide, mouth dropped, was shaking his head, amazed that we were getting away with this.

"How many are included in that 'we'?" asked Mr. Matthews.

"Just Edward, Bella, and Madison," answered Alice.

"Alright. I'll talk to the attendance lady about it." And he left.

"You guys get everything," complained one of my other friends.

"Everything's in the car. Bella, take her backpack. Tonight won't be a problem. Jasper and I will go out to see a movie, concert, or something. Emmett and Rosalie won't mind having a night out either so it'll be just like… last time. Oh. Bella, you can come with us-" said Alice.

"I want to talk to Carlisle about this first. There has to be anther way.," sighed Dad.

"Tonight?" I'm not leaving till I have to," announced Mom.

Did this really mean what I thought it did? Slowly raising my head again. I looked around at everyone. My friends were confused, but Caleb was ticked off.

"Hell no!" he roared. "We made an exception for Bella, but we'll never do it again!"

"You will NOT tell me what I can and cannot do to my own family. You'd rather see her like this than to be well?" Dad's fists were clinched tight, his knuckles even whiter.

"I'd rather see her alive than to be a bloodsucking parasite like you bastards! You're destroying Charlie and Renee! You took Bella away from where she belonged, and now you're taking Maddy. Whatever. You'll be sorry. Go burn in Hell." I watched him walk off. Dad picked me up and told me to sleep while I still could. In three days I'd be a vampire.


	8. Metamorphis

**Guys, where are the reviews? I need to know what you think! Ideas would be great too!**

Mom and Dad stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon. I slept most of the time because I was too tired to do anything else, but when my aunts and uncles came home- Esme picked them up- I was wide awake, waiting impatiently for my immortality. Dad refused to grant my deepest wish until he had talked to Carlisle in person. Unfortunately /Carlisle didn't get off work until seven that night.

"Carlisle's home," said Rosalie from my bedroom door. Mom put down her book, and Dad stood up from the chair beside my open window.

In a few seconds Carlisle, black bag in hand, doctor coat hanging over his arm, was in my room. His kind smile washed away any trace of worry I might had had. His golden eyes held me and promised to save me. Sweet Esme was at his side, her head against his shoulder. There was something unfamiliar in her eyes. Sadness? Reluctance? Tiredness? I looked at Mom for a translation, but she, too, had that look…and fear? No, not Mom. She wanted me to be a vampire, too. Well, at least she completely understood _why_ I wanted this. I mentally shook it off and looked back at my grandfather.

"Edward, Bell, have you made your final decision?" he asked.

""Only if there's no other way," sighed Dad.

"This has been something we've all struggled with since Madison was born: should she be a vampire, too? Only you two have the right to do this, but I don't think we have much a choice anymore."

"This is what she's always wanted. I want my daughter to live," said Mom.

"Do you think you could get some morphine for her? I'll do it." After nearly seventeen year my father was _finally_ going to make me one of them!

"I'll go steal a few doses right now," replied Carlisle before leaving. Esme stayed at the door.

"Bella, I know you want to be here with it happens, but…Why don't we go out for the night? It'd just be the two of us." Mom smiled and nodded. They left the house, and that was the last time I saw them as a human or dhampire or Halfling or whatever I was. That's when it really hit me.

As a newborn vampire I'd be thirsty all the time, deadly, a threat to everyone! The thirst would control my world, right? I wouldn't be able to got to school or see my friends…or Dustin. The day I get my first boyfriend I lose him! And my living grandparents. Would I ever see Charlie again? How could I see Renee now? I was going to lose all the new people in my life before I got to know them.

Then again, Mom wasn't a blood-thirsty monster read to destroy the city when she was young. Miraculously she'd denied her burning thirst around a newborn baby girl for over sixteen years. In fact, Mom had only come close to losing it a few times during my life. Even better, Mom was my primary caretaker when Dad was in college! Not to mention she'd resisted the strong urge to kill all of our visitors-newborns attract a lot of visitors everyday, so I'm told. If Mom could do it I could, too, right?

"We won't let you be a monster, Madison," promised Dad, now sitting on the side of my bed.

I held his left hand like I always did when I was sick. I loved to twist his silver wedding band and think about how he and Bella managed to be together despite all the forces against them. Their story gave me hope. Dad smiled and kissed my hand before taking the ring off and giving it to me. As always I turned it over and read the simple engraving:

THE LION AND HIS LAMB SEPT. 13

"Daddy?" He smiled and picked me up to sit next to him. He knew a hard question was on the way. That's the only time I called him that. "What is it like?" I knew the change would be painful- that's how all of them, even Mom who had used painkillers, described it- but surely there was more to it. The last time-or times- I'd been bit, the venom wasn't left along long enough to do anything.

"It was very scary for me. I thought I'd died and gone to hell, but I didn't know why. I remember in the end hearing voices. When I tried to look around I was alone in the dark, but the voices where everywhere! It was all very confusing. Everyone's experience is slightly different depending on how they were changed and what ability they brought with them," he explained. I didn't have a chance to think about what he said before Carlisle came in again.

Dad gentle placed my back in bed while Carlisle measure out the morphine. Dad took his wedding ring back and studied my neck and arms, looking for the best place to bite. His cold, smooth fingers traced my main arteries and veins, sending chills down my spine. He only chuckled to himself as he continued his search.

Carlisle walked over and stuck the needle deep in my right arm. There seemed to be too much medicine in the needle, but I trusted his judgment. After all, he'd done this before with Bella, and he knew how much pain I'd be in. No, I mustn't think about that.

"You're in good hands, Maddy," promised Carlisle. "When it's all over we'll take you hunting with us. Just take one step a time." I smiled back at my family. Edward crouched over me, with a face that could kill.

But this wasn't the Edward Cullen I could ever remember. He was a true vampire, thirsty and dangerous. His gold, loving eyes were black and full of internal pain, and his smile had become a poisonous trap. And I was the lucky victim. Even his safe, familiar hands were foreign and full of unbelievable power though they never demonstrated it. Slowly, deliberately, he pushed my head away and bit my neck.

Time was a complete mess. Sometimes, the few times I was conscious, time rushed be me, leaving me far behind, trapped in place. But most of the time I was painfully struggling in the blackness of my mind, desperately trying to move faster to the end of the madness. I don't know how long I was forced to lay flat on the ground with the baking fire consuming me.

After a short eternity I gave up on trying to move out of the flames. I just laid on my back, tears begging to fall, body too cold to shiver, and then I felt it. An icy stream of vampire venom surged through my body, erasing all the pain and cold. My heart thundered against my rib cage, and when I thought I couldn't take the torture anymore the cold surge captured my heart, locking it up forever, killing its steady beats. Everything stopped.

"Madison?" asked a distant female voice. She sounded so far away I wasn't sure how I could hear her, but I had to find her. That voice was my comfort.

I opened my eyes and started blankly at my room. It was funny to wake up again in my room after another near death experience. The calm, starry sky outside my window told me it was either very late at night or very early in the morning, but which day or night was it? The time, for the moment, didn't matter. I looked around for whoever called my name.

Mom was leaning against the open door. Her eyes were cold and black and were outlined by the purple shadows that to anyone looked like lack of sleep. and I knew she'd been waiting to hunt with me. I hoped I hadn't made her wait too long.

"Can I get up now?" I asked. She laughed, the darkness in her face vanished.

"Come here!" In less than a second I was in her arms, locked in a tight mother-daughter hug.

I broke free and bolted downstairs to celebrate my new vampire powers with the rest of my family. Emmett was the first to tackle me-or try to- meeting me with an earsplitting CRACK! His big brother-ish laughed filled the room as he let go of me. Jasper, who usually never got _too_ close for my safety, swung one are around my neck and laughed quietly, always smiling. Alice wasn't far behind and didn't show any sign of regret-even though according to Dad I lost my soul. In fact, Dad didn't seem upset either!

Dad was in the back of the living room, sitting at his grand piano. The scary vampire I'd seen before was replaced by an excited brother. His eyes looked astonished at me, but I couldn't figure out why. Did he not expect me to survive?

In a flash Mom was by his side, arms around him, head on his shoulder. They looked into each other's eyes, happily in love. I looked away to give them the little privacy you can have in a house of eight- _nine!_- vampires. Everything was how it should be.

Carlisle walked downstairs from his office.

"Feel better, Madison?"

"Much," I smiled. My throat was dry, and I felt the need to do _something_. I didn't want to just stand here in the house. I needed out. Dad, reading my edginess, stiffened and swiftly rose from the piano bench. Mom and Jasper, also sensing my thirst, did the same.

"You need to hung," announced Dad. He looked back at his parched wife. "Both of you. I know just the place." Mom smiled eve brighter and instantly stood between us.

"Lions?" she asked eagerly. Dad enthusiastically met her eyes.

"Lions."


	9. Blood Lust or Not

**Thanks for the reviews-the 2 people who did! I don't know if I made Maddy's "powers" obvious enough so if you don't know or completely understand let me know. You know I love to reply to stuff. Oh, thanks Norom for the song. And KristenEva- (hope that's how you spell it. L) you're awesome & I think I may have to make you a special vamp. For coming up with those AWESOME vamp powers. Sorry, but none of them are Maddy's "power."**

My vampires' hunting grounds were a little less than an hour away, but due to Edward's insane driving-wow! Never thought I'd say that. I must've still been used to Bella Swan's ancient and Charlie's speed watch- I had no idea how far from home we were. It didn't really matter though because I was craving blood, the lust increasing past its tolerable point. Bella tried to distract me with news from school.

Edward and Bella had been staying at home with their "sick sister"- the story was that I was weak and still in shock from my "little accident" in Forks- while the older Cullens and Alice continued to go to school. Meanwhile, Caleb was muttering insults under his breath every time he saw one of the "enemy." Bella also said that Christina and Dustin came by twice to check on me. Breaking up with Dustin would be harder than I thought.

The hour drive ended sooner than I thought, and I couldn't' have been happier. Edward's silver Volvo was parked at the very edge of the thick woods, and it imprisoned me the second I opened the car door. The annoying call of the birds promised life, and life meant blood. I could smell the sweet, inviting scents of nearby animals. I was about to run after them, but two sturdy hands held my shoulders back.

"Wait," ordered Edward.

They took me deeper in the forest, the faint, morning sun almost completely hidden behind the tall, thick, Washington trees. The wild smells of blood were more potent now, and I was rapidly losing control. I could hear a large animal's steady, sleepy heartbeats. It was too much.

The brand new smell won me over, giving me the raw power to almost escape from my vampires' firm grip. In less than a second I was chasing my first prey.

"No!" roared Edward as he ran after me. Dammit! He was still faster. "Wait!"

"I want it!" My voice was hoarse and strained. It was me, but the true Madison locked up begged to get out.

"Listen to me!" ordered Edward, holding me.

"I _want _it!" Bella stood beside me and nodded at her mate. Edward reluctantly turned away, but he was never far, tense and ready to run after me again.

"Ignore that. It's only a deer, Madison," she said calmly. I growled. "Listen for something bugger. Do you hear it? The lion's heart. Lions are bigger and have more rich blood; not to mention they're a better challenge." Her dark, but motherly eyes were instantly replaced by eyes only a ravenous vampire could have. Her shy smile was too sweet. It was just like I pictured all hunting vampires to looks: beauty that no word could give proper justice to.

I fought back the urge to kill the deer and searched for the lions Edward and Bella promised. All the smells and sounds were the same to my fresh senses, but with Edward's guidance I found my first meal for real this time.

The lion, judging by the fairly new blood stains on its jaw, had just finished its last dinner. To Edward's great disappointment, it was sleeping alone, but to me it was an easy kill.

Without really knowing what I was doing, I crouched low to the ground, almost cat-like, and a wicked smile crept across my face. Edward and Bella stayed behind me, ready to capture and destroy the beast if I was unsuccessful, but they didn't need to get their hopes up. This felt like second-nature.

In one enormous leap I was on top of the beast, arms around its back and shoulders, teeth sunk deep into its throat. The pitiful cries annoyed me, so I bit harder and in more places to either shut it up or kill it. As long as I could drink the blood, its health didn't matter. And _oh!_ was it mouthwatering! It tasted even sweeter and richer than it smelled! I drank and drank- even when the blood flow was thin and weak. I felt the poor creature go limp in my arms, and I wondered if I was allowed to drink from the dead. Anne Rice stories itched my conscious, but the desire-the _need_- for the blood easily shoved back the suspicions.

I finally stopped as more of the dawn light shined through the trees. I wiped a small trickle of blood from my mouth and got up, slightly embarrassed, to face my parents. Dad was holding Mom back, but in a privet, loving way. She sat in his lap, head buried in his chest so she couldn't see the blood. I assumed she wasn't breathing either. Dad had his arms wrapped around her chest and waist while he lightly kissed the top of her head. Despite the location and tension in his face, I could tell that this was a personal moment for them- they never got the privacy they wanted when we all lived together.

_I'm going farther out. I'll stay away from humans-promise_, I thought as I ran away. I saw a relieved smile break the tension in his eyes.

I continued hunting until the sun was high in the sky, and my skin glittered in the warm rays. Several times I had to stop to admire the brilliant colors bouncing off my skin. My skin, at long last, matched my family's beauty. _I wonder what I look like._ But that would have to wait till I was home again.

The wonderful variety of smells were no longer a necessity I would kill over, but occasionally when the wind blew just right a new scent would tease me, causing my human instincts to fade for a few brief seconds. It was easy to become Madison again though.

Later that day Mom and Dad found my lying beside a shallow creek, soaking up the warmth. Eyes closed, I softly hummed my favorite song, "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park.

"Ready to go home, or would you like to stay here for a while?" asked Dad. He and Mom were still wrapped around each other.

"Home sounds nice. I want to be with everyone if you don't mind." Dad smile, and the three of us raced back to the Volvo. I _almost _beat Dad!

The celebration at home was so _normal!_ We were a real family that wasn't worried about thirst of crushing someone. My uncles kept me in the living room to play the Wii while my aunts weakened my focus- I was losing horribly to begin with- with pointless gosip.

By three o'clock we had company.

Alice was off in her own world, but her vision and emotions had my parents' and Jasper's attention. Jasper ran to his soul mate's side and held her hand, always staring at her in wonder, until the vision was over. Dad was baffled, and Mom looked from Dad to Alice to Jasper. I decided to break the silence.

"What is it?" They ignored me.

"That's … unheard of," Dad said. Alice slowly nodded.

"I didn't think it was possible…Then again, Edward, you've proven that the impossible can be possible. Huh."

"Care to enlighten the not-so-gifted over here?" called Emmett, but there wasn't time to explain. The doorbell rang.

Everyone in the room flashed their heads to the front door, but no one dared to answer it. Esme casually walked to the door and answered as if there wasn't a_ brand new_ vampire sitting on the couch behind her. She was putting too much faith in my family.

"Hell, Dustin," greeted Esme. Standing, unprotected, only a few feet away was my delicious Dustin. His smell was many time better than the lion's or the deer's, but there was no strong want to attack him. Holding him was a _completely_ different story, and I knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Maddy Joy," he gasped. That was the second time I'd made him speechless, but the results this time were more satisfactory.

"It's Madison or Maddy, and your know it," I reminded him. Mom frowned. She and Dad hated "Maddy," but everyone in Juneau, Alaska, engraved the name in my head at an early age.

"How rude of me!" exclaimed Esme, guessing that Dustin wasn't leaving and he was in no immediate danger. "Come it."

It all happened at once. Jasper burst out laughing as he ran from an annoying Dad, and Mom did her best to hold Dad back while keeping a very close and curious eye on Dustin and me.

"It's good to see you up and well again," he stared. "I missed you-we all missed you."

"Missed you, too. Umm…. How long have I been gone?" That charming smile of his was back. How did I survive nearly two weeks without it?

"Madison, it's Thursday. Are you coming to school tomorrow?" I looked around for Carlisle, but he must've gone to the hospital.

"Whatever the doctor says. I think right now it's up in the air." He tried not to look disappointed. Behind me, I had a bad feeling Dad was glaring at one of us. Dustin seemed to feel unwelcome.

"You'll let me know?" I smiled, scared to possibly lie to him. He took it as a "yes" and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before almost running to his car. Dad growled, and I heard Jasper laughing again from upstairs.

"I'd hate to be you two," he said as he came back.

"Why?" I asked.

"You may be my niece, but only my adopted niece. I have no biological bond to you, therefore I'm not responsible for you. Edward and Bella, however, are your parents, and I'm sure they have a more than better idea about what Dustin thought when he saw you!" I frantically glanced at my parents.

"He's quickly impressed," growled Mom. Dad snorted.

"He moves too fast, or as least he fantasizes too much."


	10. Angry Confusion

**I'll warn you now (in case you've somehow forgotten), Caleb has a colorful vocabulary, & uses it a lot in this chapter. This is in his p.o.v., & you start to see a conflict. Please let me know what you think, & ask plenty of questions!**

Aw, shit! Against the far cafeteria wall was the Cullen table… with all six parasites. Where was the Halfling bitch? She'd better be alive, or… or what? Nothing, that's what. That traitor's life-existence- didn't matter anymore. No, it never mattered to me…too much. She was just an assignment. At least that's what I told myself- stop it, Caleb.

"Caleb, I hate you and will hate you more if you don't introduce me," announced my Seattle best friend, David, as he slammed his tray on the table.

"Introduce you to who?" I asked wryly. Our friends Kevin and Dawn also sat down.

"Sweet! Thanks for the premium seats, Cale!" said Kevin. Dawn glared at him.

"Get this. Caleb doesn't know why we hate him," said David.

"Oh no, you idiot, are your trying to meet her? You don't have a chance with her!" groaned Kevin.

"Why not?" demanded David.

"Easy. She's the hottest girl in the school! She's _way_ out of your league."

"Madison is gorgeous, but Rosalie is still prettier. Anyway, she's taken by Dustin Bell," sighed Dawn.

"What Madison Cullen?" I shouted.

"Isn't it Hale?" asked Dawn. No, and neither was Bella, but no one else knew that. "Who did you think we meant?"

"No way. Bella and Alice are _much_ hotter. And nicer," objected David as he shoved a fork full of sticky macaroni. "But Caleb has next hour with the only Cullen-slash-Hale girl in our reach!"

"Shut up, all of you! I'm not going to introduce you, and she's not staying here anyway," I said.

"What?"

"Why?"

"How long do we have to share?"

"They'll probably leave town soon." I quickly down as much food as I could.

"How do you know? The Cullens never talk about themselves, and you and Madison don't seem close. Her boyfriend has threatened to fight you countless times," said Dawn. If I didn't end this conversation soon, one of the bloodsuckers would stop it. And I wasn't sure if I couldn't kill them.

"I know her family- her grandfather anyway. My family and hers are like family." Dawn was shocked.

"What happened then? If you're like family why do you hate each other?" Damn it! I needed lunch to end NOW!

"Basically, her mom made a huge mistake, and- listen, you wouldn't understand, OK?" I looked at Madison's friends' table, and shit. There she was, laughing and talking with humans. Maybe Dr. Fang found another way to help her.

"You hate her because of what her mom did? You ass hole!" Dawn was pissed off. She rarely cussed.

We always knew that, Dawn," laughed David. "Caleb, just let me see her." I had to get them to shut up.

"Fine, I'll let you see her. Dawn, drop it."

Class didn't start for another ten minutes, but I needed away from the vampire room. David followed me. We stood alone in silence outside Ms. Robin's history class until Dustin and a few others came down the hall. No Madison.

"Is she normally late?" asked David anxiously.

"No, but maybe she's not coming today," I replied hopefully.

"The perfect Cullens would never skip! We saw her at lunch, anyway." I laughed at the outrageous statement. "Perfect Cullens"? Wouldn't skip school, the hell they would!

"Why wouldn't Madison come?" asked Dustin. Oh, hell, he was getting pissed off- again. I had this tiny feeling he didn't like me. "She's talking to Bella." What's that saying? Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear?

"Aw, fuck!" I muttered. Everyone around stated at me. I flipped them off as I fell back against the cinderblock wall.

Madison was wearing skinny jeans that made her look even thinner and taller- and I'm sure they did wonders in the back, too. Her tight, black long-sleeve shirt showed off her chest, but I tried not to stare too long just incase the boyfriend- or worse, Edward- noticed. Damn, even her hair captured me. The way it fell around her face and shoulders was amazing, yet natural. I had a deep curiosity about what it looked like wet. I shook the thought off. I saved her face for last because that would tell the bitter truth: Was she human or vampire?

Her skin was a litter paler, but it looked good on her. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed, but I'd been raised to notice things like that. Her complexion was perfect and looked like marble. I timidly looked at her eyes, expecting to see crimson irises like all vampires from our stories had. I couldn't hide my surprise when I saw that her eyes were black- completely black. They were too much like those two bloodsuckers who tried to… to kill her. Why was that so hard to say? Anyway, I continued staring at her perfect features as she and Bella walked towards us. They were arguing about her.

"Isabella, I am fine!" said Madison.

"We're just worried. I've been at this your whole life, and I still have trouble sometimes. Madison, most of us had a hard time accepting this way of life."

"I know that! M-Bella, I know everyone's story as well as you do. I've grown up knowing about all this. You probably can't help it, but you don't need to worry. Alice will know if something…ends badly, and D-Edward, I'm sure, is listening to me."

"You can lie with your thoughts," Bella reminded her. It was like Bella was fighting with her daughter, but Madison was fighting with her sister. Maybe that's what they were to each other. Bella was only two to three years older.

"You and Jasper will know the truth."

"Only if you're close." They were talking too fast and quiet for me to me to hear more. Now that they were close I noticed something weird.

"Your mark! It's gone!" I blurted out. They noticed me for the first time, and all three of us involuntarily jumped back from the odor. The vampire sweet, rotting stench was gagging, but I couldn't show my disgust. It would attract unwanted attention.

"Yeah," she sighed. She seemed upset. She and Bella looked back down the hall. Mrs. Robin was coming, and the tardy bell rang overhead.

"Shit," grumbled David. I'd forgotten all about him. Damn, that was boy was desperate. "Madison, Bella, I'm David. Caleb's my best friend. I'm also Katie's brother. Nice meeting you. Bye." And he was gone.

"Ok, this Aurora Borealis sight is no longer cool. If I see one more red glow around someone like that again near you I will live life blind! I close my eyes half the time anyway," announced Bella. Maddy laughed.

"You do not!"

"I'm easily blinded."

"Only around Jasper and Edward. Besides, it could be worse. You could be Jasper. Imagine _feeling_ that way for me."

"I've got to go. Alice says don't be late getting to the car. Renee's calling right after school. She wants to talk about seeing you this summer, and it wouldn't be a good idea for Esme to pick up."

My head was spinning with questions as Mrs. Robin unlocked her door. What did "red glow" and "Aurora Borealis sight" mean? How could Renee see her family now? Her daughter and son-in-law were still teens, and her only grandchild was a bloodsucker, too!

I took my seat and stared blankly at the chalkboard. Madison and Dustin sat together across the room, and the ugly sight shook my nerves. I took several long, deep breathes to calm down, but I still felt like I could pounce at any second. At least _Edward_ could read my Quileute thoughts. That gave me some comfort. Mrs. Robin shut the door behind the last late student and started class.

I couldn't concentrate. Madison's smell was too strong and foul, and I had much bigger problems than the Stock Market Crash: I had to sit a few rows away from a damn sexy vampire for a month. I worried about her as much as I wanted to kill the traitor. God, why is my life so fucked up?


	11. So Close

**Hey guys? Where are those fantastic reviews? Come on, I want to hear what you think! If I don't get a review for this chapter in a reasonable amount of time, I won't post ch. 12 until I do- even though I'll have plenty of time to write. I've just finished ch. 14, I think, & I'm almost done with the next one. STEPHENIE MEYER, YOU ROCK! **

May 15th- a month since my change. Other than the fact that I became the mythical, blood thirsty monster in movies once in a while, life wasn't much different than before. I continued to sit with my friends at lunch- except before a hunting trip- and I was really going out with Dustin. I knew Rosalie, Emmett, jasper, and my parents were concerned about our relationship, but I ignored their heeds.

Dustin took me home everyday after school and tried to end every date with a kiss. Kissing wasn't as difficult as I thought it'd be. Maybe that was because guys lead the romance. I just had to be careful not to crush him.

I had always know humans, to immortals at least, were delicate and could easily be broken. Over and over again I'd heard the joking complaints from my family when I would sit near them. I'd heard all about the struggles between my parents when Mom was human, but I never fully comprehended how strong as vampire was until I was one, too. I always remembered when Dustin held me.

As warm and right as it felt, I couldn't help but to be sad. I would never be able to hold him tight when I was happy or sad, never give him more than a simple kiss. Never tell him the truth. On weekends when I didn't hunt- which was _very_ rare- he'd take me somewhere I'd never been and tell me more about his family and old memories. Every time I'd have to edit my life- rearrange family relations, take out the details that meant the most to me, and so on. The boy wasn't stupid- another reason I loved him so much; he knew I had other things on my mind.

"Maddy, you've got to eat!" he complained at lunch. Christina glared at him- joking, of course- because he interrupted her story about math class.

"I'm not hungry. I had a big breakfast." It wasn't a complete lie. Yesterday, Rosalie and I went hunting for bears in Canada, and we didn't get back till four this morning.

"You never eat lunch. In fact, I haven't seen you eat or drink anything since Spring Break!" Dustin took both of my hands in his. I wondered what he thought about my coldness.

"I just don't eat lunch anymore." I saw it in his eyes: He didn't believe me. I looked down, not because I felt guilty, but because I didn't want to see the worry and curiosity when he looked at my black eyes.

"Come to my house after school. We'll do something. Watch a movie, listen to music. I've got the new DDR, if you want to play that. My parents won't be home until six or later, so we'll be alone." He moved my head to look at me. "Come on. We need this."

"OK." He hugged me.

_I'm going to Dustin's after school. I'll be home before six,_ I promised.

The last half of that day flew by, and I was confused about how I felt. Spending time _alone_ with Dustin would be exciting, especially since there was nothing more we wanted than to make out in peace. At the same time I was scared about how far making out would go. _Nothing_ scared me more than the thought of my teeth or venom touching him.

We walked to his car, and in fifteen minutes we were outside his house. He walked me to the door and locked it behind us.

"Annoying neighbors," he explained.

His living room was tiny! I felt cramped and kind of claustrophobic even though the window was open and there was little furniture in the room, only a love seat, flat screen TV, and a fireplace.

I stared at the family portraits on the fireplace mantle while Dustin brought out the DDR mats. One small picture showed a little, dark haired boy, no older than five, grinning ear to ear. His baseball cap looked twice as big as his head, and his green jersey pictured a happy wombat with the number **8** on the sleeves. Mr. and Mrs. Bell hugged their happy son in the bright sunlight while Dustin's grandparents laughed behind them. It was hard to believe that families really took pictures like that! It looked too much like those fake pictures Wal-Mart sticks in picture frames.

"Oh no!" laughed Dustin, playfully pulling me away from the fireplace. "Please don't look at those. I don't know why my family insists on putting those up for everyone to see." All my nerves and worries were gone when he gave me that smile.

"So," I said, changing the subject. "how good do you think you are at this?" I took off my shoes and started looking at the song choices.

"I'm not bad. I think I'm ready to go pro, but don't worry. I'll go easy on you."  
"Don't. If I'm going to win, I want to win fairly. Stupid song or obvious favorite?" He also took off his shoes and stepped on his mat.

"Let's get it out of the way." He stomped on the "X", and "Cotton Eye Joe" began.

We danced for half an hour, laughing, joking, and singing along. He had a great voice, and a couple of time I stopped playing so I could watch and listen to the private concert. He tried to get me to sing a solo, but I told him my musical abilities didn't include singing. That lead to a whole new round of questions and stories.

"You play an instrument? Cool!"

"Two." his eyes bugged out. "Piano and flute. My dad taught me when I was little, and in sixth grade I needed another elective so I chose band." We sat down on the couch, the game still going and booing at our "missed" steps.

"Do you still play?" There was hope in his eyes, and I almost gave in. I would've given anything to be completely honest with him and share little known facts. Something kept me back though.

"I haven't play in years." Once again, it wasn't a complete lie. I hadn't play my flute since eight grade, but I played "Syrinx", using my flute music, on Dad's grand piano last night.

"Oh. Madison?" Oh, crap. Here it came.

"Hmm?"

"You've been through a lot, but I don't know what you've been through. I'm your boyfriend. Don't I have some right to know what's going on?"

"Dustin, I-I don't know what to say. I was attacked by a-a madman. Remember that mark on my head? It was his-" He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my harder than he ever had before. We was waiting for me to open my mouth, but as always I looked away and let him kiss my neck instead. He stopped and ran one hand through his hair. He other traveled up my back and to the left side of my head. I moved his hand before he could feel the skin. I was self-conscious about that.

"'Accident.' Well, that's better than the truth. He rape-"

"No! No, no, no not like that. Worse. He tried to kill me." I wanted to say more, but I was afraid if I let out more I'd say too much.

Dustin looked deep into my eyes-shocked, scared, unsure of what to do. I felt the excitement and eagerness in his hands, and I knew he was terrified to comfort me. His eyes said he couldn't emotionally help me, but physically he knew what to do. Still not completely sure if it was right, he pulled my head closer to his.

So much was said in that slow kiss. His sorrow and want to understand my pain was in the hesitation. Every inhale said he needed me; every turn said he didn't know if he could handle the truth, but he always came back with more interest and confidence. He tried to French kiss me, his way of telling me he wanted me to open up to him. That single kiss almost made me forget about his safety and the secrets I carried. He was asking me for what I desperately needed: unconditional honesty and trust.

I locked my arms around his neck just enough so he'd have to struggle to break free- not that I thought he would. His hands ran down my back again and locked around my hips. He started to get off the couch, reluctantly. I let him go but only for a few seconds. He quickly shut the curtains while I shut the TV off. Then we were back in each others arms kissing.

My cold hands sent shivers down him, but I continued to stroke the side of his face, his warmth thrilling to my iciness. My hands, unknowingly, traced the veins down his neck and stopped at his shirt collar. Meanwhile his hands debated weather or not to take my shirt off. I should have stopped him, but instead I found myself unbuttoning his shirt.

Things began spiraling out of control. His shirt was lying across the room, and my shirt was somewhere behind me. Crazy for the warmth, the love, or the sex-I really didn't know- I couldn't help touching his bare chest and tight arms. There was no six-pack or jaw-dropping guns, but I couldn't feel one ounce of fat on him. If he kept working out he would have looked _incredible!_

He was going wild, too. His kisses were harder, more intense, and more determined to go farther. His warm hands kept going farther and farther down my back until my jeans met my shirt on the other side of the living room. We went back and forth taking off our clothes and jewelry until I was left in my basic purple bra and underwear- I picked a bad day not to wear the undergarments Alice gave me- and he was in his black, cotton boxers. And we still didn't stop to think about what we were doing.

He playfully pushed me down on the couch and hovered over me. His lips were always on mine or my neck as he stroked one of my legs and placed it around his waist. I actually started laughing- happily laughing- when his hands went back for the bra. His hands were on the clasp about to unlock it when the impact of our decision slammed into me.

"No!" I gasped. I pushed him off me, and he fell back over the arm of the sofa. "Oops. Sorry."

"What-what just happened?" It sounded more like he was talking to himself than me.

"Umm… we were going to… do it," I mumbled. I was trying to breathe evenly again, but the shock was too big. I came to close to losing my virginity with a human I'd only known for two months! I was too close to giving myself to a guy I couldn't be honest with. I was going to have sex with a guy that, in the back of my mind, I'd thought about breaking up with!

"Yeah, but what did I do?" He was hurt; it was written all over his face. But I could only stare at him, lost in my our terror. "Why did you stop me?"

"I am _so_ sorry!" My voice was cracking, and I could feel the banished tears burning my eyes. "I don't know what came over me. I should have stopped you before we even started, but I couldn't- wouldn't. The truth is, I'm not ready for that, and I'm still very…confused." I chose my words carefully so I wouldn't upset him too much.

I awkwardly got off the couch and gathered my clothes. I ran to the nearest bathroom to put them back on. Once I was dressed I tried to fix my hair to no one would be too suspicious. It wasn't as messed up as I thought, but I was sure was, emotionally. There was a light knock on the door.

"Madison? Are you ready to go home?" Dustin sounded tired, and another round of grief swallowed me. His pain was my fault, and it wasn't over yet. Secrets suck.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

The long drive home was painfully quiet, but I wanted more to be alone with him rather than face my family. No doubt psychic Alice would already know about the afternoon's event. If she didn't, Dad would know through my thoughts. There was no way I could forget this nightmare. And if by some miracle I could _not_ think about it, Mom and Jasper would know something happened. No matter how I looked at it, I was screwed.

He turned off the engine at the end of the long driveway, but neither of us made an attempt to get out. Dustin broke the silence.

"That'll be between just you and me, right?" I didn't look at him. From her and Emmett's bedroom window, I saw Rosalie hiss at Dustin's car.

"Of course," I lied. _I'll try_.

My head jerked up in alarm. I stopped breathing, and Dustin's heart panicked.

"What?"

"Nothing. I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow," I promised as I tried to run to the front door at human speed. I didn't even wait for Dustin to vanish from sight before going inside.

Crap. It was just like when I was caught telling Caleb I lived with vampires- that wasn't news to him, but we didn't know that. Emmett and Jasper were on the couch watching _Saving Private Ryan_., Alice was in the back of the house sitting at the dining room table with Esme, and Mom, Dad, and Rosalie were standing on the stairs. It seemed like everyone stopped what they were doing when I came in.

"Hey," I said using all my will power not to sound different- like they wouldn't know.

"Did you and Dustin get in a fight?" asked Rosalie, not bothering to hide her joy at all.

"No."

"Huh. Bella said you two were really light pink. Oh well, it's none of my business," she replied coolly as she gracefully walked towards Emmett.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Rosalie. She was my aunt, after all, and I'd never hated or envied her- until then. She never made her opinions about Dustin quiet, but she'd never been this… bitchy! Her vampire grace only made her words sound snobbier. If she wasn't family or if my family- including her stronger mate- wasn't there I probably would have fought her. Instead, I ran upstairs and slammed the door.

I dug thorough my Cds until I found the one I borrowed from Mom before Spring Break. While I set my stereo up, my family talked about me downstairs.

"Damn, Rose, that was mean."

"Emmett, she shouldn't be so close to humans," she snapped back. She _this _was the Rosalie Mom had to put up with before I was born. Mom must really love Dad to deal with her.

"She hasn't attacked anyone yet," defended Jasper. "but I somewhat agree with Rosalie. It's not safe."

"Edward, Bella, you have to stop this!" Rosalie ordered. "She's risking everything Carlisle built for us. Vampires and humans shouldn't mix. Bella, I think you were an immortal born in the wrong world."

"I'm out of this," declared Emmett.

"All of you, stop this," said Esme. "Leave the poor girl alone."

"Stop being to bitchy about it, Rosalie. She's going to break up with him at lunch tomorrow," announced Alice.

"How bad is she, Edward?" asked Esme. I stopped listening and blasted Linkin Park before laying flat on my bed.

_"Here we go for the hundredth time. Hand grenade pins in every line, Throw 'em and let something shine. Going out of my fucking mind. Filthy mouth/ no excuse. Find a new place to hang this noose. Knot it tight so I won't get loose. Truth is/ you can stop and stare Bled myself out and no one cares"_

"Don't cuss," said Mom, opening my door and shutting it behind her.

"I'm just singing."

"Still, don't cuss." She sat beside my on the bed.

"You know, I picked it up from you guys."

"Two wrongs don't make a right." I smiled a little.

"But two lefts do." She rolled her eyes and hit my arm.

"If that's not proof Rosalie and Emmett took care of you all the time, what is? Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" I stared at her, shocked they didn't already know.

"Alice didn't see it? Snap decision. That's the key, isn't it?"

"Please tell me," she begged. My colors must have been hurting her, too. Well, here goes nothing.

"I almost had sex with Dustin," I admitted. WE both looked at my shut door, waiting for Dad to barge in. He didn't. He'd probably seen the whole thing in my head already.

"Almost?"

"I chickened out. I realized I couldn't do it anymore: I couldn't keep lying to him. If I'm going to love someone I want to tell him everything. No secrets, no hiding, no editing." Mom hugged me for a while. The only sound came from my stereo. Not even the loud screams and drums from the CD could ease the frustration.

"You're good at spotting vampires. Not you just need to find the right one. Don't worry. You're only a sophomore- for the first time." She squeezed my hand and let me sort out my problems alone.

_Dad? Please let me think alone for a while._"

"Why don't you go hunt for a couple of hours? Carlisle will be home soon, and Albert's supposed to come over."


	12. Week with Renee

**One review? And not even the right chapter! I'm disappointed. For that I have a torture plan! Stephenie- you are amazing & I WANT BREAKING DAWN NOW! Btw, anyone in OK area that's getting the new Eclipse… let me know. Otherwise im gonna do stupid things at walmart. Yep yep**

Caleb and I only saw each other during history, so we never had a chance to talk. He was always polite in the halls, smiling face, an occasional "Hey." Acquaintances at school, currently friends in the real world. Friends, as I was constantly reminded by my aunts, that could kill each other when the other one screwed up. As long as Caleb lost the ego we'd be fine…I hoped.

Needless to say, Alice and Rosalie went ballistic when I got home that day. I did all I could to keep it a scolding rather than a fight, but my father's temper was mine, too. Jasper calmed us down before anyone said something she'd regret, but the tension never left the girls.

Emmett and Jasper, probably caught between their mates and my parents, stayed out of the whole mess as much as possible. Mom and Dad didn't encourage the friendship, but old loyalties stopped them from breaking Caleb and I apart. Carlisle actually _did_ encourage it because it would "help strengthen the Treaty" or something like that. Esme…confused me. She kept staring at me with that same sad look she gave me after my last sleep.

But things were fairly calm- about that anyway. Rosalie and Emmett left the day after school ended, and Carlisle and Esme left the day after that. Alice was reluctant about her week in Canada, probably worried I'd run off with Caleb, but Jasper persuaded her eventually. That left Mom, Dad, and me alone at home to iron out the visiting details.

"Keep her inside on sunny days," ordered Mom. "If she goes outside she'll beg you to come, too."

"Only hunt if you need to and make sure it's at night when she's asleep. If you have to eat in front of her, I suggest you eat as little as possible." My mind started to drift as my parents went through the rules. "You aren't listening," Dad accused.

"I heard you!" Why did I even bother lying to them?

"Right," said Mom. "Tell Renee we say hi, and have fun. It's hard not to when she's around." I gave them a last hug and happily shoved them out the door.

* * *

Grandma Renee was something! I imagined her as an older version on Mom, but she was much more…childish. No, that wasn't exactly right. She just had a lot more energy and imagination. Her voice always sounded happy and in awe- especially when she saw the house. I tried to keep the conversation away from that because no one could think of a plausible reason for three people to live in a huge house. Keeping up with the three-person- house story, Emmett's and Rosalie's bedroom and Alice's and Jasper's bedroom was locked. Grandma slept in Carlisle's and Esme's room.

It was a relief that Renee talked most of the time. Phil was still a baseball coach- we talked a lot about that. His team won state last year and come in sixth this year. Renee also showed my a ton of pictures of her house and the bright flowers, all soaking up the hot Florida rays. Everyday she would beg me to visit her in Jacksonville, and everyday I made a wishy-washy promise.

"I swear you are so much like Edward! Somehow he convinced Bella to stay up here in the north. My little Phoenix girl…" she absently shook her head.

"Maybe I'll visit later. Before college," I lied.

"Bella stayed in these clouds for Edward, but what's your excuse? Who's your lucky guy?" Her tone was light, but her eyes seriously thought I had a boyfriend. I'd been too responsible and grown-up around her. "Too much like Bella," she once said. Time to change that.

"He's not my guys. He's more of a… friend, I guess." I let my guard down a little, hoping she wouldn't choose now to be so observant.

"You guess? Come on, I missed all this with Bella. You know, Edward was the only boy she ever dated?" I sighed dramatically- Alice must have worn off on me- and sat right next to her.

"It's really confusing. There's this guy- he's younger than me, fourteen- who just moved here from… I don't remember." Telling her he was Jacob Black's son would only make her pay more attention. "Anyway, there was a lot of conflict. People sometimes look at us differently, and traditionally, we are an odd couple- not that we're dating or anything.

"Our fighting recently stopped. The whole thing was a big misunderstanding. We actually hung out the other day, and I never knew that he could be sweet. He gets me!"

"Oh. You look just like Edward- except the eyes. No, wait. Did they change again? I could have sworn they were green in last year's school picture." Her warm brown eyes were big and lost, but she shook the eye thing off and continued. "You may look like Edward, but I see Bella in you. She didn't relate to people her own age either. So, are you worried he doesn't feel the same way about you?"

"No, I- I don't know," I admitted. How did I feel? "I don't think we could ever go out. More people disagree with our friendship than agree, so it'd only get worse if we…. I don't' know what to do about him." She turned to face me.

"What's his name?"

"Caleb."

"You're thinking about Caleb more than you should." It wasn't a question; it was a fact. "The worst that could happen is you lose your friend. You haven't been friends for long though, right? Go for it. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks." It was great advice- for two humans. The only problem was neither of the subjects were human. They were natural enemies! I thanked her anyway, and promised to think about it. Think, not do.

Other than Renee unknowingly making my life harder because I was completely confused, meeting my grandma was fun! She acted more like a sister than my elder and only living female relative- vampires aren't exactly alive, right? It seemed like most of my what-are-vampire answers came from Anne Rice. Not helpful.

Renee and I went to the movies, the ice skating rink, and the mall during her week here. The sun never came out, but the weather was warm for Washington. She liked to start everyday with a walk around the park. Five out of the six days we were there it was fine, but that last day, the day before she left, the day I should have spent every waking minute with her because I doubted I would see her again. That day I found Caleb.

He was alone, sleeping under his usual tree, listening to his ipod. The light wind blew his long hair over his shoulders and neck, but he didn't move. Renee and I walked past him on our way back to my car, and I had to quickly glance back at him. I saw his dark nose wrinkle a little. He muttered, "Halfling," so quietly I was sure I was the only one who heard him.

As we got in my car I felt a hard thud in my stomach. I put my key in the ignition and looked back at the sleeping wolf. His skin, so soft and hot, looked even darker in the shade. I instantly regretted not saying something back to him, not moving his hair away from his face. As I backed out, going three times slower than normal, the biggest emotional pain I could have ever imagined swept over me. The feeling was brand new to me, but I knew exactly what it was.

"Damn it," I cursed. Renee, shocked, looked at me, waiting for an explanation. "Damn it. I'm in love with that pup."


	13. Confessions

**Ok, I lied. I've got a job so I wasn't sure when I'd be able to post again, so I'm letting the lack of reviews slide by. Here's all of Ch. 13 PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! TELL ME HOW TO BREAK THE NEWS TO THE CULLENS!**

Renee left that night, and Emmett and Rosalie were on their way home. Luckily their plane wouldn't land for another few hours. Just enough time to do the unthinkable.

I ran upstairs into Mom's and Dad's room, locking the door behind me. I knew a locked door wouldn't stop a vampire, and my aunt and uncle- the only ones coming home today- wouldn't mind in I was in there. Still, I felt guilty and scared about my pathetic and absurd plan. To calm my nerves I turned on Dad's Debussy CD. "Syrinx" always did the trick.

I doubted either of my parents still contacted anyone from La Push, so I called Charlie.

"Hello?" came Grandpa Charlie's gruff voice. A baseball game played in the background.

"Grandpa? It's Madison."

Maddy? Hey, kiddo!" The sports announcer stopped. "How are you Edward told me you weren't doing well."

"I'm fine now. Carlisle fixed me up. Hey, I feel really bad about leaving Caleb like I did. We got in a huge fight seconds before…. I want to apologize. Do you have his number?" I crossed my fingers.

"No, but I'll give you Billy's. I wouldn't be surprised if Jake and them were down there now. Do you have a pen and pencil?" He gave me the number and hung up. I took a deep breath before dialing the number. I would have bet anything he knew I was a vampire.

"Black residence." The ancient Quileute sounded even more formal than when he told stories around the fire. There was no magic in his voice.

"Billy, it's Maddy. I need to talk to Caleb, but I don't know his number or where he lives. I saw him today at the park, but Grandma Renee was with me."

"Bella let you see Renee? Why?" His voice was hard and cold- worse than Rosalie's.

"I'm not like most newborns. You can ask Caleb about that. I went to school with him. Billy, please, I need to talk to him." he grumbled a little in Quileute before quickly throwing out the digits and hanging up.

I stared at the number for several minutes, trying to decide what to say. No matter how I said it, I feared it wouldn't come out right. I dialed all seven digits, my worry doubling after every tone. The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then…

"Hello?" answered Mrs. Black. I looked at the clock. 7:30. It wasn't too late… I hung up and booted up Mom's computer. I was too impatient.

I typed in and typed in Jacob's name and number

**Jacob C. Black of Walla Walla, WA.**

**Jacob and Charlene Black of Olympia, WA.**

**Jacob and Charlene Black of Seattle, WA.**

Under that were two different addresses and telephone numbers. The last one matched, and according to MapQuest- I must have been desperate to use that!- he lived twenty minutes away- human speed.

It only took two seconds to run to the garage and jump in my car. I turned up my radio and raced down the driveway. The radio, usually tuned to classical music- my parents' differing taste in music provided me with a musically open mind-, was too soothing for my panicky mood. I needed something to drown out the vampire instincts that kept screaming "GO HOME!" I pressed 2 on the preferences, and Aiden rocked out.

"_Die romantic, romantic This is the nightmare, we fall asleep. Die romantic, romantic This is the nightmare, we die complete. Tonight's the night and it's all we need now To die romantic." _"I Just Wanna Live" by Good Charlotte came on next as I pulled onto Caleb's street.

I rolled up the windows so I wouldn't draw more attention to myself, and I slowed to a painfully slow twenty- five miles per hour to look for the house. And there it was at the end of the street. I parked a few houses away and killed the engine.

The one story house sat peacefully between two other brightly colored homes, standing out, but not odd. White shutters added a welcoming feel to the brown brick house, and it helped neighbors find the house hidden behind the yard. To me, it looked like a mix between wild nature and a well-kept garden, but then wasn't that exactly what the residents were? The three tall trees elegantly lined the curved sidewalk up to the house, but the gardens under the windows were wild and tame at once. On a sunny day it might have been pretty to look at, but at night it was foreboding. Even the open garage said "Go away." Still, I couldn't.

I got out of my car and walked up the path and stopped at the front door. Mrs. Black may know about the other world and accept my parents and me, but letting a vampire in her house may be pushing things too far. Jake might be more open. Ha! Maybe the front door would be better.

I turned around and hesitantly looked inside the garage. There was a car with its hood up and tools scattered on the ground, shelves, car, and wall. The back door was half open, and behind it was a tall, dark, Quileute man wearing a greasy tank top and worn jeans. His black hair was back in a low pony tail. He turned around to come back outside, and I ran back to the trees.

"Show yourself, leech," Jacob commanded. I sighed and walked back to the garage. "I knew I didn't recognize the scent. I was hoping it was you since you're the only good vamp I know, but Seattle's had its troubles before. What are you doing here?" He shut the door behind him and leaned against the car.

"I came to talk to Caleb. I saw him at the park today, and he said something. I couldn't talk because Grandma Renee was with me. She left today. Is he here?" Jake's dark brown eyes never left mine. He nodded and backed up to the door again.

"Caleb! Someone's here for you!" He looked back at me. "Was that you who called a few minuets ago?" I smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"I thought this would be better." Caleb's foul smell burned my nose as another large shape came towards us. Jake laughed at my reaction and went inside.

"Maddy? What are you doing here? Your coven won't be happy." He wasn't as relaxed as he had been in the park.

"I need to talk to you. Oh, Lord, help me!" I fell back against the wall and closed me eyes. Caleb was at my side in a second.

"What's wrong?" He was worried.

"I've done something stupid and dangerous and completely not right."

"I don't think you can stop being a vampire. Hey, since when do you bloodsuckers say 'Lord' and 'God' and that kind of stuff?" Cocky Caleb was coming back. That would make it harder to say it, but easier to end it.

"Caleb, Dad pushed religion on. I can recite all that Christian stuff, too. Mom and Dad used to read Bible stories to me at night before I could read. Don't change the subject yet. And being a vampire isn't a stupid, dangerous decision. It's worse." I rested my hands on my head and muttered the scary truth. "I'm in love with you." Silence.

"No. Oh, hell no. Madison Cullen, tell me you didn't say what I thought you did," he groaned. He lightly banged his head on the wall. This wasn't the reaction I was expecting.

"I don't want to lie to you. So now what?"

"What do you mean? Shit! Madison Joy! Don't you understand that you are a vampire and I am a werewolf? Guess not. This- shit. Not you- shit!"

"Can't you say something else? Damn it, Caleb, I didn't want this to happen either, but we need to figure out how to stop this. We can't be friends anymore. Listen, you've got a real life-"  
"Ha! That's a good one. I lost my real life when I phased for the first time. Madison, you can't stop being in love with someone. I've tried. Look, follow my lead OK? Drive around the block and stop at Rose Ave." He pushed himself off the wall glared at me. "Bloodsucker! Shut up and get off my land! Tell your wonderful father he broke the treaty. I don't care if you were half _them_ or not! You were human, too. Traitor." What the hell was he doing?

"What?" I was speechless? A fake fight? What could I say?

"I said get lost!" Jake and Charlene stood at the door. I, wide eyed and shocked, stared at him and ran to the car. I ran too fast, but humans didn't matter anymore. I was running for my life, Caleb, and us. Damn it! I needed to stop thinking that.

Behind me, Caleb yelled at his parents about letting a "leech" inside. I heard him scream that he needed to calm down before Charlene became the next Emily. That was low, but it worked perfectly. He ran one way, and I drove off the other. At the corner, he jumped in.

"Well, they won't kill me, but I'm not going anywhere for a week or two. They can't keep me away from La Push longer. I'm chief. Sorta." I drove away without another word.

"What's wrong, Halfling?"

"Do you have to call me that?" My vampire instincts were covered by the human. And the Masen temper was burning.

"Sorry. Madison seems too old, and everyone calls you Maddy. I wanted to be different."

"You already are," I reminded him. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah. About that. I don't think you understood me at home. I'm not upset that you- no, that's a lie. I _am_ upset that you love me, but only because that makes it harder on us both." I waited for him to go on, but he wouldn't. "Where are we going?"

I laughed a little as I drove faster and faster out of Seattle city limits. On the highway we were nothing but a black blur, almost invisible in the darkness. My family's hunting grounds were the only safe place left. Who would suspect that? That was the plan anyway. And in an hour we were there.

"Can you keep up?" I challenged. He only laughed. I gave him a head start. He didn't need it thought. I was easily faster, but I had a feeling that was only because of my father's unbelievable speed.

"Here. This is where I spend sunny days. Just me, Mom, and Dad. It's one of the few places where we can be ourselves." He stood in the middle of the clearing and looked around. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. How I wished I had one of my parent's powers!

"Why can't you be in the sun?"

"Let's just say it's something to see." I needed to keep things from him so I could stop loving him. Wait. Did he say that he'd tried to stop loving someone? Was it possible…? Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

"Can I one day?" He turned around. His big eyes were hopeful. I bit my lip.

"Maybe. Right now we need to figure things out."

"Madison Joy, I love you." Crap.

"What?"

"I love you, Halfling. Damn, this is why I was so upset. I can move back to La Push and try to move on. Both of us in love though. I can't forget that."

"I shouldn't have told you." Crap. This was ten times worse. And we both knew it.

"No. I'm glad you did. I'm glad you do, but we can't. Can we? I know it's not right, and our families won't like it, but think about it. We don't have to lie to each other, we won't crush each other- too easily- we both could live like this forever, and we could be in the sun together, right?" Damn it! He had some great points. No more lies, no more editing, no more lonely days in the sun while watching Mom and Dad sit together. I knew they liked the three of us together, but didn't they want me to find someone, too. Of course they did, but they wanted that someone to be a vampire or human if I had to. Werewolves were out of the question.

"True, but my vampires wouldn't let me do this. Caleb, they don't even want us to be friends- well, my aunts don't. You really think the Pack would approve?"

"No, of course not, but no one can tell me what to do anymore. Biologically I'm fourteen, but physically I'm in my twenties."

"And what's my excuse? Physically I'll always sixteen even though biologically in two weeks I turn seventeen."

"How old is Edward? About your age, right? He can make his own decisions, so why can't you?" He just didn't get it! I looked up at the beautiful stars above.

"_From forth the fatal loins of these two foes  
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;  
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows_ Two enemies' children fall in love, now face a choice: love or the right thing. This sucks."

"Yep. So, lovers in secret, acquaintances to the world?" Caleb took my hand and looked at me.

"I guess so. What else can we do?" Neither of us knew. All that mattered then was the moment. We laid down in the grass, my head resting on his shoulder, his hands holding mine. Hours passed, yet neither of us moved. It was way past midnight before either of us got up. I dropped Caleb off a few blocks from his house, and then I drove home to welcome Emmett and Rosalie. I probably should have hunted. My eyes were black and turning red from lack of blood, but I wasn't a monster yet. Still, I had to alibi.


	14. The Email

**Hey, guys! I've put 2 links on my page or whatever it's called (just click my name). One is "Syrinx"- I figured you might want to hear why I talk about it so much- and the other is "Clair de Lune." I think the chapters are coming to a close, but right I don't know how many are left. I'd love to hear what you think is going to happen because right now I don't know either.**

**Edward's p.o.v.**

Bella and I were the last to come home, and we were surprised at our sisters' attitudes. We walked inside expecting Madison to tell us all about her week, but Madison was gone.

"Is she hunting?" asked Bella.

_Ha! She's used that twice on us, but her eyes are still red,_ thought Emmett. Rosalie was more outspoken about her niece.

"No one's sure where the liar is," she snapped. "Alice keeps seeing her disappear. I _told_ you this was a bad idea!"

"She won't tell us where she's going anymore," added Alice. "She just leaves everyday. We tried to follow her, but she ended up going to Christina's for a while. Then she's gone again."

"The human says she doesn't know where Madison goes, and none of us want to call Jake," said Emmett. Carlisle and Esme entered the living room from the kitchen.

"It's no wonder she won't talk to anyone. The day Alice and Jasper got back Madison, Alice, and Rosalie started fighting. Jasper had to calm the down after a while, but Madison hasn't' spoken to anyone since," said Esme. It sounded like, once again, the wolves were causing more trouble than they were worth. Bella and I went up to our room.

"Is it really a bad thing? Why can't Madison see Caleb?" asked Bella as she sat down on the black, leather couch. I sighed and sat down next to her.

"You still don't see the world the way we do. There are no humans, vampires, and werewolves to you. Bella, Caleb was born to kill us. We're only worried about her. Both of them have tempers that could get them both killed." I held her hands and looked at the ring on her left hand.

"Madison knows that. Caleb is Jacob's son. He couldn't hurt her. I know physically he's able to, but I don't think he could. Same thing with our daughter. Don't you remember how happy you were to tell me everything? It was the same way with Jake. Madison and Caleb were born in secrete worlds with no one their own age to talk to."

Maybe Bella was right. We'd had this discussion many times since we heard about the odd friendship. It wasn't fair how we'd forced Madison to live, but she didn't know any different. She loved being a vampire and being different. Since she'd started liking Dustin and met Caleb she'd been troubled about lying and keeping secrets. Maybe this was what she needed. We should support her.

A black Jaguar pulled into the driveway, and our little bronze haired vampire ran inside.

"Mom! Dad!" Madison opened out bedroom door and slammed into Bella. I stood up to get out of the way. "When did you get here? Mom, Renee is amazing. How could you have ever left her? I'm glad you did, otherwise I wouldn't be here, but she's so… energetic."

"So you two had fun?" I asked as Madison hugged me next. She stood on her toes to kiss my cheek, then sat between Bella and I on the couch.

"Yeah. She sent you an email. I didn't read it, but she told me what it said. I think she misunderstood a few things." Bella looked at her.

"Light pink?" Bella was nervous. Lying?

"She tried to be a grandma slash mom too much."

Accidentally, Madison told me about the email. Renee thought Madison was in love with a poor boy. She said Madison was scared to go out with him because of what others would think. She told Madison to go for it anyway. Who was she talking about though? Madison broke up with Dustin weeks ago, and as far as I knew she hadn't fallen for anyone new. Renee must have been confused.

"What have you been doing since she left?" asked Bella. I wondered what colors she saw around our daughter then.

"I went hunting a couple of times," she admitted. The truth was she only hunted once after meeting Caleb in the park.

"Alice says you've seen Caleb," prompted Bella.

"Really? What else did Alice and Rosalie say?" Madison remember the fight.

_"Young werewolves aren't safe, Maddy," reminded Alice as Madison walked to the front door. Alice and Rosalie were sitting on the front steps._

_"Caleb is different."  
"He's just like Jacob," said Rosalie._

_"Then Jacob's a descent person. Caleb and I have a lot in common."_

_"Jacob is a jerk!" yelled Alice. "He's the one who use to get Bell in trouble."_

_"I'm pretty sure that was Dad, and Caleb isn't a jerk to me. You don't' need to worry, so mind your own business!" Madison walked between my sisters._

_"Last time you said not to worry you were attacked by vampires!" yelled Rosalie. She and Alice followed Madison upstairs._

_"This is different! Don't compare Caleb to those murderers! He's not like that. You don't know what you're talking about so back off!" The rest of my family gathered at the ends of the hall._

_"You can't tell me to back off!" screamed Rosalie. She jumped at Madison to keep her from running off again, but Madison moved just in time. _

_"Just did! Leave me alone!" She was ready to defend herself if she needed to, but Esme stepped in._

_"Girls, stop it! Jasper?" Jasper and Emmett, now standing in the middle of the fight, tried to calm their partners, but neither Alice nor Rosalie would listen. Jasper had no choice but to use his power._

"Madison, be nice. They are your aunts," I told her. Bella glared at her, and I knew she didn't like what she saw.

"Neither one of you have any siblings. I have no aunts." She looked down at her hands.

"Then Carlisle and Esme aren't your grandparents." I hated it when she pulled that. I don't' think she knew how much Carlisle and Esme did for me over the years.

"Yes, they are! They're your parents. I have three sets of grandparents. The Masens are dead though."

"Are Emmett and Jasper your uncles?" asked Bella.

Yes,thought Madison, but she didn't say anything aloud.

"They're all worried. Edward and I don't' care if you're friends with Caleb. Just don't lie." Madison looked up, shocked.

_Just friends?_ she thought. She was worried about something, but she tried to keep as much from me as possible.

"Thanks," she said at last. "Will you, please, make Emmett and Jasper stop following me?" Bella and I laughed a little and promised to stop them. Then she went to her room.

Bella got off the couch and walked to the computer while I unpacked our bag. She read me Renee's email. She scolded us for not letting her "sole granddaughter" come visit her in Florida, and she briefly mentioned the boyfriend talk.

"What is she talking about?" asked Bella. I was hoping Bella knew.

"I don't know." The computer beeped, telling us we had a new message. I walked over to the screen.

"LunarPrince? Do you still talk to Jacob?" I teased. Bella rolled her eyes and opened the message.

_"Halfling, you left the necklace I gave you under the stars. Do you want me to drop it by or wait till I see you again? Let me know. I'd like to tell you good bye before we go back to the rez for the rest of the month. I was worried about missing your birthday, but then I remembered what we are. It's so easy to forget about vampires & werewolves when I talk to you. Weird, isn't it? Anyway, we go back in 2 days. 2 days till _I_ face the music. Embry will kill me, but like you said, what else can we do?_

_Love ya,_

_Caleb."_

Bella and I were silent for a long time, neither one of us moving, neither one of us breathing. "Under the stars"? They were using codes in case someone else read their mail, but why would he email Bella or me? What did he mean by "what else can we do?" Perhaps the most disturbing part of the letter was the word "love." Was it a meaningless phrase, or was it the truth? I knew friends could fall in love, and Bella and Jacob had proved it. But a vampire and a werewolf? Was that even possible?

"Edward?" Bella looked up at me, her face confused and worried. "Are you OK?" There was no point lying to her. She saw exactly how I felt.

"I don't know what to think of this. I saw the fight between Madison and Alice and Rosalie, and it only makes things worse. Madison kept defending Caleb, saying they have a lot in common. She told them they didn't know what they were talking about, but I thought she was just mad."

"You think there's more to it?" I looked into her beautiful, gold eyes and tried to find the right thing to say.

"There could be more, or maybe… maybe we're reading too deeply." She looked towards the door but said nothing.

"Just friends?" echoed in my head.


	15. Open

**Ok. I will continue, but I'd like some feedback, please. I'll work on the suggestions I got (using the fun one for this chapter), & I'll try not to worry about reviews as much. I got used to have reviews every chapter or so with my other fanfics so not getting them is STRANGE. Sorry if this is annoying, but it saves you from all the boring stuff & stuff I can't describe- not that Maddy or Caleb would want me to. I switch back & forth from Maddy's p.o.v. to Edward's. It says who's telling the story. Maddy starts off. By the way, this one's my longest chapter EVER!**

"Hey, I'm going over to Caleb's for a little while. He's going back to La Push tomorrow, and I want to tell him bye," I said as I walked downstairs and out the door. I kept all my thought and emotions calm and only on the Black's house. In a few minutes I was knocking on their front door.

"Hi, Madison," said Charlene. She had light brown hair that fell past her shoulders, and her skin didn't have much color. Standing next to Jacob she looked out of place, but Caleb and I probably looked even stranger.

"Caleb's in the kitchen," she said before leaving us alone.

Caleb was sitting at the kitchen table finishing his lunch. At his feet was an old backpack, not yet zipped up, and a large, dark, soft-looking blanket was falling out. I picked the bag up and stuffed the blanket back in.

"Thanks," Caleb attempted to say through his sandwich.

"Charming," I growled as I sat down next to him. It was a wonder either one of us could be around each other because of our smells. After half an hour or so I could ignore the stench, but after not seeing him for a day or so his rotting, musty stink burned my nose and made me sick. Our first thirty minutes were never our best times.

"Whatever. So," He swallowed the rest of his food. "are we going to the stars again?" The stars were what we called our meadow.

"Alice said the sun will come and go today, so I think that's our best spot. Besides, weren't you curious about what happens to us in the sun?" His big, brown eyes widened, and he smiled, showing off all his teeth. I couldn't keep from laughing at the excited puppy face. Then it was gone.

"Won't you family be there hunting?"

"Nope. They just got back from long hunting trips so we'll be alone. The may hang outside around the house, but I don't think they'll go anywhere." The puppy face was back, and he grabbed the backpack from me.

"Let's go before you sting up the whole house," he laughed.

**Edward's p.o.v.**

"Bella, are you sure?" I asked her. We were in Madison's room looking for Jacob's telephone number.

"Edward, I know that color. It was exactly like when you look at me." I cursed under my breath and began looking harder. "It's not here. I'm going to ask Billy."

'You think he'll talk to you? I know he did when we came to get Madison over Spring Break, but he probably knows we changed her." Bella didn't say anything. She picked up the phone and called Charlie's friend.

"Hey, Billy, it's Bella-" She waited for Billy to stop talking. "Sorry about the timing. I don't want to keep you, but we need Jake's number. Madison either never wrote it down or took it with her…She's with Caleb, and she accidentally told Edward they were going somewhere they didn't have to hide. We need to talk to Jake." She ran to Madison's desk and wrote down the number. "Thank you. Tell Charlie hi for us. Yeah. We'll call tonight." She hung up and gave me the number. Alice ran upstairs.

"As you probably guessed, Maddy and the dog left. If you call Jake he won't understand. You need to explain your power to him, Bella. You need to prove it to him. The sun won't be out when you get there or when you leave." Bella and I looked at each other.

"Do you know the address?" Bella asked Alice. She smiled as she held out a small piece of paper. Always one step ahead.

**Maddy's p.o.v.**

Caleb spread out his Indian-wolf blanket across the grass and laid down. I laid next to him, my head resting on his burning chest. He shivered at the sudden cold, but his hands wrapped around me.

"Don't you want your necklace back now?" I rolled over to let him get up.

"I thought I'd lost it already! Thank you, Caleb."

He pulled out the tiny, cloth bag and turned it over in my hands. The leather strap and wooden charm fell out. He made and painted it all by himself. The charm was a wooden vampress, tall, slender, and divine. Her fangs elegantly showed her beauty and danger. Her brown hair, royal purple dress, and ivory colored wings made her look sweet and innocent or dark and mysterious, both perfect descriptions for a vampire.

"Vampires can't be angels, Caleb," I said as he put in on me. The leather strap fit perfectly around my neck, and the charm's feet hung at the bottom of my neck and the top of my collar bone.

"She's a Halfling, too. She drinks blood like all vamps, but she's not a monster. She's too human. Edward's wrong, you know." He looked into my eyes. "You still have a soul." I smiled and kissed him.

Our kisses weren't guarded like I had been with Dustin. I didn't care how hard I held Caleb, and my venom couldn't hurt him. French kisses weren't a problem at all.

"You're welcome," laughed Caleb when he let go of me. His hot breath felt strangely wonderful against my neck, and I'd do anything to keep it there. He looked up at my eyes and stared, but not in a good way.

"Your eyes are red. I thought they were black yesterday," he said, never looking away. Time to admit the scary truth.

"They probably were. My eyes are usually black, but that doesn't mean I'm really thirsty or I'll kill the next person who walks too close. Black to me is almost like gold to my family. The problem is when my eyes turn red. I'm not safe around humans or animals. I lose myself and become the blood thirsty monster in stories and movies." The whole time I spoke I stared at a blade of grass. I heard Caleb's heart beat louder and faster, and his breathing was shallow.

"You're not safe? Are you going to try to kill me?" I looked up. He was scared and deep in his thoughts.

"NO!" I jumped back to the trees' blackening darkness to give him space. "I won't kill you. You stink too much, and I don't even want to think about how awful you'd taste!"

"Well, that's a slap in the face! Is it an insult or a good thing when a vampire refuses to drink your blood?" We both laughed, and he pulled my back to the clearing. "Besides, you couldn't kill me if you tried."

"Just because I've only been a full vampire for a month doesn't mean I don't know how to fight. I've had instincts all my life, and having Jasper for an uncle has its advantages."

"Really, though. I was scared about earlier," he whispered. I waited for him to go on, but it took a while. "Jake's more human than I am. He ages and doesn't turn into a giant wolf when he's pissed off- not unless he_ really_ got mad- but Mom's human. You know that. I've told you how she never believed all this supernatural crap."

"You don't need to worry about Charlene," I promised. "She smells too much like you."

"I'll take that as a good thing. For some reason the danger makes you more irresistible."

Caleb was so close. Our faces millimeters apart; our bodies inching closer and closer. I could feel his heat radiation off him. I felt warm inside, and it gave me courage. His arms were on either side of me, coming slowly until he had me penned on the ground. Our eyes never left each other's. My hands sent chills up his back as they moved closer to his neck, his chin, and finally locking his face to mine. This time everything felt right, and there was no "should I or shouldn't I?" Above us, the clouds parted to let the sun shine down on us.

**Edward's p.o.v.**

"Hello, Jacob," I said to the tall Quileute man. Jacob had aged more than I expected, but then again I half expected to see the werewolf Jacob from Forks.

"Edward? Bella? What are you doing here?" he asked. An older version of his imprinted bride Charlene stood next to him. Behind us, the wind picked up, and shadows grew darker.

"Do you mind if we come in? The sun's coming out, and it would be hard to explain to the neighbors why we glitter," I said as Bella and I walked in.

_You've met them before. They seem human enough. Bella was human then. Just treat them like people_, thought Charlene. It seemed like she'd adjusted well to this new world. Her face and heart didn't give away her fear, but I knew that wouldn't stop Bella from knowing.

"I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but…I can't get over it. Jake told me you all looked exactly the same, but seeing it for myself is…unbelievable!" said Charlene as she took us to their living room.

"It's fine," said Bella. "Do you know that vampires have powers?"

"Some," I corrected. Charlene looked uneasy, but she remembered a few Quileute stories.

"Do you know about our family?" asked Bella. Jake said down next to his wife.

"One can read minds, and another one can see the future, but not ours," she answered. She also knew one of my bothers could do something that annoyed the Pack.

"Edward can read minds-" stared Bella.

"But not yours," added Jacob.

"We aren't sure why though," I said. Bella finished.

"Alice can see the future, but she can't see werewolves or anyone around werewolves. Jasper can feel and control emotions. I'm kind of like that, too." Jacob sat up straighter. "I can only see what you're feeling."  
"Huh?" asked Charlene. I looked at Bell, wondering if she could explain her unique power. We never had to before. Everyone in our family learned about it as she did. Colors were another part of our vocabulary now.

"Is that what Caleb meant by Northern Lights Sight?" asked Jacob. He remembered Caleb talking about Madison's first day back as a vampire. He overheard Bella talking about colors around people.

"Exactly," I answered. "Bella says there are lights around everyone that only see can see."

"Every color has a meaning," she explained. "Jake, you're confused, but happy. Charlene, you're shocked I knew that, or you're surprised about something. I've only met you once, so it's hard to know which it is for sure. It could be both. They both share the same color."

"We don't mean to scare you, but Alice said it would help if we explained her power to you," I said.

"Help what?" asked Jacob. He still didn't trust vampires any more than I trusted werewolves.

"Wait. All of my mythical knowledge is about werewolves. Who's Alice?" asked Charlene.

_I'll explain_, thought Jacob.

"Alice is the psychic lee- Cold One. I guess she can see us because I'm not exactly a werewolf and Caleb isn't here, right?"

"Yes, and Caleb is partly why we're here. Bella said she saw red around Madison before she came here. This red meant love."

**Maddy p.o.v.**

Caleb and I were both lying flat on our backs, looking up at the bright, blue sky. The sun's rays bounced off me in sparkling rainbows. My skin stunned Caleb, but it didn't distract him from our moment. Now that it was over and we were dressed again, he tried to find the right words.

"Does it feel weird? I'm sorry, but I can't get over it." He was still breathing hard. I laughed.

"No. I don't feel any different." He gently brushed my right arm with his finger tips. It sent chills through me.

"Thank you," Caleb said after a while. I looked over at him. He was looking up at the sky.

"I didn't do anything."  
"You spent time with me, made my last day here unforgettable, thought of me as a person- not a werewolf- and you showed me this," he said as his hands rand down my arms. He kissed me cheek. "I need to pack, and you need to hunt." As always, our time together had to end when it really got started. I sighed and shoved the blanket back in the bag. We ran back to my car and head to his house.

Down the street, in front of his house was Edward's silver Volvo. It still shined in the shade, and at any other time I would have been happy to see my parents. Now was the worst timing ever! How could I not love Caleb when I was in the same room as him? How could I forget about what we just did in the forest? Our parents would kill us! Caleb knew it, too.

"Shit," he muttered. "What the hell are they doing here? Thank God Edward doesn't speak Quileute."

"You may be safe from Dad, but you need to worry about Mom, too. She sees emotions."

"Fuck. We're screwed!"

I parked the car behind the Volvo but didn't get out.

"Come on, Halfling. What's life without a little danger?" Cocky, jerky pup was back. Good thing I hated the werewolf Caleb. We got out and walked inside his house. Jake, Charlene, Mom, and Dad were all sitting down waiting on us.

"Caleb," said Edward. He obviously thought of Caleb as nothing more than a stupid dog.

"How's the Pack?" asked Mom. She always thought of the Quileutes as friends. When I was little I looked forward to her stories about them. She told them like they were her past, but I never understood how she could like the werewolves when the rest of the Cullens hated them. Looking at her now near Jacob Black, I saw that she never left the old Bella, Jake's best friend, behind. Maybe she would be the voice of reason.

"The old Pack grew up- except for Embry. Now it's just him, me, and Leader," said Caleb as he threw his pack down the hall towards his room.

"Who's Leader?" asked Bella.

"Sam's boy," answered Charlene. "He's a year older than Cale."

"You both know why we're here," said Bella. The air conditioner switched on, stirring everyone's scent slightly. "You're orange and hot pink. Afraid of being caught? But you've already been caught."

What? Alice couldn't have seen that. We acted on a whim- sorta- and I was with Caleb! Calm yourself. She must have been talking about our "friendship."

Edward looked at us questionably. Someone said something that bothered him. Maybe Caleb's foreign thoughts annoyed him. The farthest person from me, Charlene, flipped her hair. Her scent was growing stronger, but I didn't dare attack. She'd been around those foul wolves too long and stunk.

"Sorry, Legend, but I don't know why you're here. Madison is capable of driving herself home," spat the pup. I hit his arm. There was no need to be disrespectful- especially to his "Legend."

"You two should be experts at keeping secrets," said Jake. Charlene laughed once. "but you were careless. _Madison_ was careless."

"What?" I shouted. I was tearing in tow. The vampire and more dominate side couldn't be reasonable anymore. She wanted blood, and only that burning, moldy stink kept her at bay. The human buried in me wasn't calm either. She had a secrete to defend, but it was unraveling before her.

"Shall we start with the fact that you live in a house full of vampires?" asked Jake. "One reads minds; one can't see you so she knows you're with Caleb-"

"And not hunting. Your eyes gave that away, too," added Edward.

"Bella sees how you feel, and one can make you feel something else so you will spill," finished Jacob.

"Caleb? You blew it in the email. Maddy, you might want to give him _your_ email address," said Charlene. The human needed to mind her own business. Another word out of her and this would be her last day. I'm stronger and faster than Jacob. I could have Charlene- NO! This was my boyfriend's mom!

"Madison?" Edward was getting worried. He was holding my shoulders.

"I'm fine. I need to stop breathing," I assured him. My voice was hoarse though. I held my breath, and the thirst calmed a little. Caleb took my hands without thinking.

"Edward," gasped Bella. "They're both white. Like you are. And Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and Carlisle and Esme."

"What? He's a werewolf!" shouted Edward.

"What does white mean?" asked Jake. Both he and Charlene stood up.

"White is true love. I only see it around soul mates," explained Bella.

"I love Madison," announced Caleb. Charlene accidentally knocked over the chimney sweep rack. It fell in the fireplace, sending glass chunks all the carpet and cutting Charlene. The smell of blood was too hard to resist.


	16. Denali

**Ok, have you guys seen the BD cover? It's a chess board. I don't know what I expected but it sure wasn't that! It's not as pretty, but it makes you wonder. Who's the Queen piece, and who is that red piece in the back? What is it? Hmm… +lost in thoughts+ While I turn my brain to slosh thinking about what it all means, here's the next ch.**

Instincts took over, and I pounced at my worthless victim. Her panicking heart was the only sound I heard. I felt every beat. I could almost reach the blood, but WHAM!

"No!" I tried to scream. My throat hurt and felt like sandpaper. Only blood could quench this horrible thirst, but the male vampire held me against the floor.

"Madison, stop shouting!" commanded the vampire. His fierce black held me. Had I been shouting? I wanted to fight him off, but a little voice in the back of my head told me I couldn't.

"Charlene, come on!" roared another male behind Edward. The wolf was shaking, and my victim was backing away from him, too. In one leap I could have her cornered- if I could get this vampire off me.

"Caleb! Calm yourself and get her out of here!" cried an older man. His husky voice was full of authority. I saw the young boy/man lead the woman out of the house.

"Bella?" asked the man. The little voice told me I knew him. Family. The vampress, Bella, looked away from the ceiling to look at Jacob.

"Not breathing. Edward, you can't hold her yourself. She's a newborn, and almost as strong as you. Let me help you," she begged. Edward didn't move. I heard Jacob pick up the shattered glass. After he poured some bleach on the blood, Edward and Bella let me up.

"Madison, let's go," calmly said Bella. "We'll be back tonight." Bella pulled me to my car and drove to our hunting grounds.

The next morning I called Caleb's house to apologize, but no one answered. I tried again twice later that day, and I even called Billy. He said Jake and his family hadn't arrived yet, but I didn't know if it was the truth or if Caleb never wanted to speak to me again.

"Oh, Maddy," sighed Rosalie after a few depressing days. "You know I don't like any of the wolves, and I can't believe you _love_ that dog. Still, I hate to see you so miserable. You're more than a niece to me: you're a godchild. I'll keep my opinions about all this to myself."

I didn't know what to say! No one could surprise me like Rosalie. She loved to spoil me, yet she made sure I never took anything for granted. She felt like her opinions on how to raise me were equal or better than my parents'. Now, she was willing to let me lead my own life- or at least learn from my mistakes.

"Not even an 'I told you so'?" I asked. I turned my radio off.

"Are you sure this isn't a cover for his Pack?"

"When they're wolves they'd find out the truth. There's no point to keeping secrets."

"If he won't even talk to you, he's not worth worrying about." She kissed my head and left me alone. I opened my mail center online and tried one last time.

_Caleb,_

_How many times do I have to call or write before I annoy the hell out of you? I know sorry isn't enough- trust me. Living w/ 2 weaker vampires for over 16 years gives you a lot of close calls. Vampires can remember much more than humans, so even when Charlene forgets- if she can- I'll have to live with this guilt for ever. I'm not asking for forgiveness. Just tell me if you can still love me or not. I wouldn't blame you if you never want to see me again. Just let me know so I can stop wasting my time._

_Madison Masen._

I sent the email and deleted his address from my computer. I knew better than to get my hopes up, so I mentally wished him good bye. Two serious relationships gone in two months- sounds like a record- all because of what I am. Where was the romantic ideas I thought about when I heard the word vampire? So far being a Halfling sucked!

A week passed and still no contact from the pup. Everyone felt sorry for me. Good ole Emmett asked if he could take care of the situation himself, but that would have meant crossing the line and breaking the treaty. I told him no- he made a sad face worthy of Alice-and Jasper lightened everyone's mood. That week turned into a seven-day baseball tournament to keep my mind busy. Sometimes Esme or Mom would play with us.

"Bella, you're up!" called Carlisle from across the overly-exaggerated field. Mom took Rosalie's bat and tried to hit the lightning fast ball. One, two, three strikes.

"Pathetic!" boomed Emmett. "Hey, are you three going with us or Carlisle and Esme?" He threw the ball to Carlisle at the pitcher's mound.

"Alice and Jasper are going with you, right? We'll go with Carlisle and Esme," answered Mom. It was my turn to bat. Alice and Mom struck out so it was up to me. I stopped before home plate.

"Going where?" I asked. Jasper at first base came in closer.

"Tanya invited us up to Denali for a few weeks," he said.

"We've been waiting to hear from Caleb or for you to give up," said Dad.

"When are we leaving?" I asked. I was a little nervous about meeting our extended family. Not only did they have every right to be mad at the Cullens for not telling them about me, Irina, last we heard, still wanted to take down the wolves- the wolves that named Caleb Alpha! Who know what they'd think of me?

"Tomorrow sometime," answered Esme. "We thought you knew. You were in the room when we called them." Oh! That must have been the day I was IMing Renee in the dining room. Of course I hadn't heard them!

"Is that OK? We can cancel," said Mom. She'd only met Tanya's clan twice: right after she and Dad moved to Juneau and when they borrowed a car from them during Spring Break.

"Jasper took back the car while you were changing," Dad said, answering my mental question.

"Oh. No, we can see them. I wasn't expecting to; that's all," I said to Mom.

So the next day Carlisle, Esme, Mom, Dad, and I boarded a flight to Denali while the other half of my family drove. Supposedly the guys wanted to be romantic and show their partners the Northern Lights.

"Esme! Bella!" screamed a tiny, dirty blonde vampires as she ran out of the huge, three-story, wooden house. "Oh, hi, Carlisle," she said, pushing him and Dad aside to see me. Dad laughed.

""You can't ignore me forever, Irina," he said, but Irina seemed to think she could because she whipped me away from him and dragged all three of us girls inside.

"I'm not the betting type, but I'd wager a good bit that she's upset that you never told her about Maddy," laughed Carlisle. Irina only smiled sweetly at him.

"Tanya! Eva! Chez! Kristen! Madison's here!" Before Irina could finish, four beautiful vampires appeared around us. Though I'd never seen anyone them before, I knew who was who by stories I'd heard about them.

Tanya, the head of the family, was the second tallest and the strawberry blonde. The way she stood, proud yet gentle, reminded me of Esme. Chez stood next to Tanya and was taller than Tanya. Everything about Chez was like an Amazon. Her raven black hair had two little braids on the sides of her head that connected. Her long hair fell past her hips and sway every time she moved. She wore a eggshell colored dress and gold necklaces, earrings, and bracelets that went up the her elbows. On our other side were the twins Kristen and Eva. Kristen was the one with wavy blonde hair that fell over her dainty shoulders. Eva had a Flapper's bob. Other than that, the happy-go-lucky blondes were exactly alike from their bright topaz eyes, their childish grins, and runway model clothes. They even sounded exactly the same!

"Where's Alice?" asked Eva, her face slightly dropping.

"They'll be here tomorrow," answered Carlisle. The twins smiled again.

"Oh good!" jumped Kristen. Chez rolled her eyes and swiftly circled me.

"You two weren't kidding," she gasped. Her velvety voice was lower than most women. It made you listen more. "Kristen, Eva, doesn't she look _just like_ Edward?" The twins smiled as they came closer to look at me. Irina pulled Dad and Carlisle out of the way.

"Oh my God!" yelped Eva.

"Well, I see him- a little. No, she's Bella's daughter for sure," said the other twin.

"Let's get an expert opinion," giggled Irina as she beckoned Tanya. Tanya rolled her eyes, but played along.

"She's got the hair, but it was dyed. She's got the eyes, but every vampires has those. She's just as pale, but then again Bella was pale, too, not to mention all of us are pale. Tell me, Madison, how do you like being a vampire now?" All five hostesses were staring at me.

"It's all I've ever known," I said. "I've lived with Edward and Bella all my life, and Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, or Alice and Jasper either visited all the time or lived with us for a while. Most of the time though we all lived together! I've never considered myself to be human."

Tanya and her sisters continued studying and questioning me all night, despite Dad's pleads to leave me alone. Mom wasn't completely safe from the sisters' torture either. They asked about her human days and what it was like to be a newborn vampire with a newborn baby, how I handled seeing my family, and all kinds of other annoying questions. Relief came after nine o'clock when I got a phone from Charlie's house.

"Grandpa? This is a surprise," I answered. Mom and Dad looked over at me.

"Not exactly," sourly said my young wolf. I gasped and ran out of the house into the surrounding wilderness as fast as I could.

"Caleb!" I gasped.

"What was that noise?"

"Noise? Oh, you must have heard the wind. I ran outside so everyone can't eavesdrop. Tanya and her sisters don't know about you. They have a thing against you guys."

"Oh. Charlie, Billy, and Jake are all watching some game, but it's almost over. I gotta talk fast. You know I have a temper, and I can hold grudges forever; all of us are like that. But I can't stay mad at you. Mom talked to Emily about what happened, and God, I never thought _I'd_ be on the victim's side. Leader's pissed off, but I don't care. We've got a few problems to work out."

"Not with my family. They don't approve, but they accepted it."

"Oh. We'll great. That was my biggest worry. So, got any ideas?"

"Sorta, but I need to know about the Treaty stuff first. That affects us more than ever now."


	17. Edward's Promise

**I know these last few chapters aren't exciting, but it's getting towards the end. Sad news, guys. I think this is the last real chapter. At the moment, I' m thinking about writing the epilogue. By the way, that part ends really cool…I think. I won't spoil it. Oh! I FIGURED OUT BREAKING DAWN'S COVER! In my opinion. I'll tell u next time or just ask. I'm so proud of myself. +happy tears+**

"I'll make sure you can cross the line. One way or another," promised Caleb.

"Don't start any trouble because of me," I whined. "It's bad enough that Leader and Embry are mad at you. We can still see each other in Seattle or Forks."

"Maddy the only time we can to Forks was to see Charlie, and we'll only be in Seattle during school."

"Our door's always open."

"I'm counting on that. How long are you staying though?" There was never a set time. When we thought we'd stayed too long, we move. If someone suspected anything, we moved. Two years was usually the limit, but Caleb and I needed three. Could Carlisle and Esme pass for their mid-thirties? Even thirty was pushing it.

"Edward and Bella would let me stay a few more years."

"Then we're split up," groaned Caleb.

"Then I've done everything they wanted me to do: finish school before I live my own life and go through one year of college," I corrected him.

"I'd better go. The game's over, and I need to talk to a lot of people. Love ya, Halfling."

"Love you, too, pup." We hung up.

I looked around to find the house, but all I could see were the thick trees. There wasn't anything that looked vaguely familiar, and I knew I was lost. Back home I knew the woods as well as anyone in my family because I'd been shown the way out once- it was all I needed- but this time I'd randomly gone off on my own. I couldn't even remember the general direction I came from.

"_Blow, blow Seminole wind. Blow like you're never gonna blow again."_ I dropped my cell phone and frantically looked around for the angelic voice. "_I'm calling to you like a long lost friend, but I know who you are."_ She had the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard! Who was it? If she was from the clan it had to be Tanya or Irina because Chez's voice was too low, Spanish-like, and the twins' were higher than Alice's. "_And blow, blow from the Okeechobee, All the way up to Micanopy." _She was getting closer, but I still couldn't see her. "_Blow across the home of the Seminole, the alligators and the gar."_

I looked to my left. Nothing but trees- or maybe not. Maybe it was just the wind or tree branches, but I could have sworn I saw something white streak through the trees. I listened for a sound, but only the birds and the angel voice was loud enough to read me.

"_I sat up on a Cypress stump, and I heard the ghost of Osceola cry."_ She should be in plain sight! I was spinning, trying to find something. I didn't see anything until she appeared out of nowhere.

"Found her!" chimed little Kristen. She looked back at the place where I thought I saw something.

"Oh! There you are, Maddy!" squealedEva as she ran towards us. "I thought I looked over here. I get too absorbed in my songs." She shrugged.

"That was _you!_" I gasped. My mouth was still wide open. The twins laughed and looked at each other.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm surprised you didn't find me sooner. I can't hide like my sister, and couldn't you have followed my voice?"

"I couldn't figure out where it was coming from," I admitted. "Wait, that was you, too?"

"Obviously!" Eva rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Kristen can't be seen when she's looking for someone. That's what made her so deadly."

"You were just as dangerous! You used to lure your prey in by your voice. Those are our gifts, you know," said Kristen. She grabbed my hand, and the twins lead me out of the woods. "Eva used to be a show girl in a speak easy." Eva laughed.

"It was quite ironic, really. Kristy was dating a detective then, and the two used to go undercover and turn in all the bars. Several times that man tried to shut down my place, but my sister saved me."

"You still owe me. If it wasn't for me, she would've gone to jail and would be a wrinkled, old lady now. Some identical twins _we'd_ be!" We all laughed.

"Oh, Maddy, please don't mention about our old ways," begged Eva. "Carlisle doesn't know that we once hunting humans. It was a long time ago. Chez stopped us."

"Is that how you all met?" I asked.

"Well, that's how we joined. Chez was in Manhattan when she found us. She had only been living with Tanya for twenty years or so- not long when you're nearly 200 years old already! She told us to join her and Tanya," said Kristen.

"Chez's story is much more exciting. Basically, she was a Portuguese maiden who was taken by the Amazons when her city was attacked. She was only fifteen then and engaged!" said Eva.

"I would've _hated_ that! It was bad enough that in our days that you were engaged right after high school!" I thought of Dad. Those were his days. And that's exactly what he begged Mom to do.

"She lived with them for five years until a ship for Europe came. She boarded that and landed in Paris. After exploring Europe and Asia for a century or two she came here," Eva finished.

The house was in front of us now, and Dad was leaning casually outside the door. His eyes were closed, and it reminded me of a sleeping sentry. Through the dense clouds a little sunlight hit his skin, making it sparkle a little. Even though you should never think this way about your dad, it was beautiful. On either side of me, the twins disappeared into the forest.

"You can run, but I can still hear," he laughed. Crap. I hadn't thought about that. "Let me see if I've got this right. Caleb forgives you and wants to talk about letting you cross the line, too. You both want to stay in Seattle to finish school, then you plan on being with him forever. I take it he never plans on giving up his wolf form?" I nodded. "I see. You're even willing to try college while he finishes his senior year. You tow are something else. Carlisle and Esme can't stay after next year… But Bella and I will stay for you." I ran into him and hugged him tight. He hugged me back and kissed the top of my head.

"Thanks, Dad," I said into his shirt. Esme walked outside with us.

"We'll miss you though," she said. I looked up. She no longer looked at me with those strange eyes. "Caleb is welcome to visit anytime, but you two couldn't live with us. He's too different from us." She hugged me, too.

"You act like I'm leaving now!"

"You might as well be," she sighed. "Seventeen years is a long time to humans, but not long enough for me. Imagine how short a year is to me. At least I know you won't suffer alone like Edward did. That was my biggest fear, you know."

_That look. She was scared I wouldn't find a soul mate for a hundred years like you?_ I asked Dad. He smiled and nodded. That proved that Esme had the biggest heart in the world. She could care only about her family's happiness and not about what made them happy.

"Hey! It's June 27! My seventeenth birthday! Way to go Caleb on timing," I laughed.


	18. Epilogue: 50 Years Later

**Pull out your hankies. This is it. I'm completely out of Madison ideas so this will be my last fanfic at least until BD comes out- Norom, as always you're the exception. I'll get your wedding request soonish. AND STOP TELLING EVERYONE AT WORK ABOUT THIS! THEY DON'T HELP. I don't know if I'll write one for BD. Gotta find out what happens first. I don't know if you're reading this, but Mrs. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, you were the first to give me the caleb/ maddy idea. At first I was grossed out, but it stuck. Grrr. Can't u people let the author write the story?? JK. People who liked this story owe you. Once again, thanks Kristeneva for the names/ powers. You deserve to be a vamp- in a good way. Ask questions! I love answering them (I tend to reply in novels). Hope to return soon.**

Snort! A blazing hot arm fell over me. I looked over at the pup sleeping next to me. His black mane was a mess, but at least, now that it was cut shorter, I could see his dark, handsome face again. His bare chest was somehow sweating next to freezing me, and it made him even smellier than normal. I thought sleeping people should look nice and relaxing! Caleb was like a drooling dog without the drool.

I usually didn't sleep with him, but our room had the best acoustics. I had "Syrinx" playing softly across the room, and I tried to relax on our bed. I was lost in the music's slow tempo and crawling tension until the pup started snorting. I groaned, pushed him off me, and got up. I took my laptop out of our room and sat down to read my newest message:

_Maddy!_

_Emmett and I miss you so much. I know it's only been two weeks, but you've been living with us all for two years. Esme says the house feels empty now that you've left. You'll come back soon, right? Even if you have to bring Caleb. Unless of course he likes going to college while you live with us. We don't mind if he stays here anymore. _

_The twins came over yesterday. They were upset that they missed you. We showed them pictures of your wedding and Caleb graduating from NYU with his engineering degree. Kristen and Eva are so proud of you. They want you two to live in Alaska next time you live on your own. Chez still wants to meet your wolf. She was out of town when you visited them, and Irina has told her good things about him. I know; we're all surprised about that.._

_Emmett and I live in Quebec right now. Half the people here speak French so we're taking lessons. You should hear him try to speak it. He's such a goofball. You know he's never been good at other languages. Alice and Jasper are living with Edward and Bella in Portland, Oregon. Bella promised to send you some pictures they took of the whales. Carlisle and Esme are enjoying some alone time outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Esme will probably want us all back in a year._

_Tell Caleb hi for us, and have fun in La Push. You always do. Love you,_

_Rosalie._

I was halfway surprised that no one mentioned anything about Caleb's birthday today, but then again Caleb hadn't aged anymore than I had. Well, La Push would still celebrate in true werewolf style.

"Halfling?" mumbled Caleb from upstairs. My CD shut off. He was up and trying to wake up in the shower. I had fifteen minutes to surprise him.

When Caleb come downstairs from our simple, two-story, temporary, rent house I greeted him with a full table of bacon, eggs, peanut butter pancakes, strawberries, and orange juice. In my human days I'd done most of my own cooking, and Mom was an excellent teacher. I tried to cook for Caleb as much as I could. The boy would starve if it weren't for me.

"What's all this?" I asked, frozen in front of the table.

"It's called breakfast." I kissed him on the cheek. He rolled his eyes.

"I know that. I meant why all this? I know I eat like a cow, but God, not in the mornings."

"I didn't know what you wanted," I said innocently. One dark eyebrow shot up. He knew something was up. "And I wanted to wish you happy birthday!"

He sat down, and in about half an hour everything on the table was gone.

"So what are we still doing here?" he asked as he put he dishes in the dishwasher.

"Time to cross the line?" That adorable, excited puppy face smiled at me. "Come on, pup. Let's go."  
It took a few hours to get from Idaho to Washington, but once outside of Forks town limits we were recharged. Nothing had changed in fifty years, just the people. Jake was standing with Embry and Quil outside Billy's old house- now Jake's house, My father-in-law was thin and had short, thin, white hair. The ninety-two year old Quilute "chief" looked weak next two his younger friends. Quil, the second oldest, looked like he was in his mid eighties or early seventies, and he still stood tall and proud. Embry was easily the youngest of the Old Pack. He finally gave up his wolf form thirty or so years ago. The forty-something year old was the cockiest adult in La Push, and if you didn't believe it he'd challenge you to a race, game, or just about anything.

Embry, seeing my brand new, electric blue Acura NSX speed down the road, titled his head back and let out an ear piercing howl. Caleb, used to Embry's usual call, howled back. Wolves.

The three remaining Old Pack members laughed and went back inside. Running up the road were two kids, a boy about thirteen and a girl no older than ten. They almost fell over as I parked outside the Black house. My dark tint windows were cracked open.

"Whoa!" gasped the boy. I nudged Caleb.

"Who are they?" I whispered. I thought I saw a little Aterra in the boy, but it was hard to tell. Caleb shrugged his shoulders.

"I want his car!" the boy said to the girl. "That guy must have a ton of girls after him!" I decided it was time to make my entrance. Caleb and I got out. The boy's eyes grew three times bigger, and he stumbled back. The girl laughed.

"Like the car?" I asked. The boy only nodded. "If we're still around when you can drive I might let you borrow it." The girl had to remind her friend to breathe.

"William. Kimberly. This is Madison Masen and Caleb Black. Or is it Madison Black?" asked Embry was he came back outside.

"Masen works, too. You know, everyone else calls me Cullen," I answered. The Old Pack member snorted. Cullens still weren't allowed on the Indians' land, so they thought of Bella as a Swan, and I was a Black or Masen.

That night we all gathered around the campfire for the celebration. Jake sat in Billy's usual spot with Charlene on one side and Quil and Embry on his other. Caleb and I sat next to Charlene. Sam's, Quil's, Paul's, Jared's Seth's, and Leah's,children and grandchildren formed most of the large circle. Embry's two sons joked with the little children across from us. There were others that weren't part of the wolf line and unfamiliar to me, but no one objected to their presents. The existence of vampires and werewolves weren't a secrete when Caleb and I lived with them. Jake cleared his throat, and everyone was silent.

"We are hear to pass along our stories to those who do not know about the Quilute secretes." Jacob's voice was low and ragged, but his father's ancient story-telling magic was in him, too. "It is my son's sixty-fifth birthday, and he and his wife, Madison, have come again to live with us for a while. As many know, Caleb was the Alpha of the Second Consecutive Pack. Every generation, as long as they choose to live here, will become werewolves. We know these stories, and we know Legend's story just as well. What hardly anyone knows is the story of the Halfling." Jake looked at me, closed his eyes, and shook his head. I smiled, embarrassed.

"The trouble all started when a couple of Cold Ones tried to make a large hunting area for themselves. When they came too close, the First Pack and the Elders began worrying about the different Cold Ones from our Treaty. We sent the next Alpha to find the girl, but no one expected what we had just done…"


End file.
